Croatia Is Ready To Keep The Good Times Rolling

It's almost time for the World Cup. Before the tournament, we'll be previewing each of the top 15 teams by FIFA rankings that made the tournament. Why the top 15? Because that's how many we needed to do in order for the USMNT to make the cut. You can read all of our previews here.

The most successful side of the last two World Cups is France. That's a title that winning the tournament and coming oh-so-close to repeating earns you. But which is the second most successful side? If you picked Argentina, the other winner, I wouldn't push back too hard, especially since the Albiceleste lost to the eventual champions in 2018. Instead, though, I'd argue that it is Croatia, home to only 3.8 million people, that has punched so far above its weight that it should be considered the second-best-performing World Cup team over the past eight years.