Croatia are playing England in the Nations League at a virtually empty Stadion HNK Rijeka because UEFA imposed a one-match home stadium ban on Croatia. The sanction follows incidents of fan trouble, racism, and discrimination during Croatia's Nations League quarter-final fixtures against France in March 2025.
UEFA Sanctions and Fine
Alongside the stadium closure, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) was fined approximately €93,000 (around £80,000) and ordered to compensate for damages caused by their supporters at the Stade de France.
The ban applies to Croatia's next official home fixture in a UEFA competition, which is why it came into effect specifically for the Nations League match against England.
Who Is Allowed to Attend?
A small minority of home fans will be present. The Croatian federation is exploiting a UEFA loophole to bring in up to 6,000 school children to watch the match.
Despite the general spectator ban, UEFA permitted a tiny delegation of roughly 100 ticketed England Supporters Travel Club members to attend the match in person under special exceptions.
Previous Behind-Closed-Doors Clash
This scenario mirrors a 2018 Nations League clash between the same two teams in Rijeka, which was also played behind closed doors after a swastika was marked on the pitch prior to a Euro 2016 qualifier.
