The appearance of modern, “English” football and the first football matches were recorded in Croatia at the end of the 19th century (Rijeka in 1873, Županja in 1880, Zadar in 1887, Trogir in 1896, Nova Gradiška in 1897, etc.), while the traces of various ball games go back to ancient times and the Middle Ages (Sinj, Dubrovnik, Šibenik, etc.). Students of the first higher education for physical education teachers (Gymnastics Teacher Course 1894-1896) were taught football by Franjo Bučar, and playing football was also recorded in several schools and Sokol clubs at the turn of the 20th century. However, the founding of the first football clubs in Zagreb in 1903 (HAŠK – Croatian Sports Civic Club and PNIŠK Zagreb – Zagreb First Football and Sports Club) is considered the beginning of the systematic development of football in Croatia. Until the First World War, around 15 football clubs were founded in several cities in Croatia. The most prominent among them were Hajduk and Građanski (First Croatian Sports Civic Club), which were founded in Split and Zagreb in 1911 and were the bearers of the development of Croatian football in the following decades.
Football gained popularity between the two world wars and, along with cycling, it became the most popular sport in Croatia. The growing popularity of football was also influenced by the stronger involvement of football clubs and football officials in the political events of the time, so football became the leader of political struggles for a more favourable position of Croatian football and sports in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The expansion of football continued after the Second World War, a large number of new clubs were founded, and football became the most popular, widespread and massive sport in Croatia, which it remains to this day.
The football section of the Croatian Sports Federation, founded in 1912, is considered the first umbrella football organization in Croatia. It organized the first Croatian Football Championship in the 1912/1913 season. The Yugoslav Football Federation was founded in Zagreb in 1919, and national football championships have been held since 1923. The Croatian Football Federation was founded in Zagreb in 1940. The Football Federation of Croatia started operating in 1948. It changed its name to the Croatian Football Federation in 1991. It has been a member of FIFA since 1992, and UEFA since 1993.
For the first time under the name Croatia, an unofficial national team composed of HAŠK and PNIŠK players played a friendly match against Slavia Football Club from Prague, Czech Republic, in 1907. Croatian footballers played on the Yugoslav national team from the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp on. At the first FIFA World Cup in Uruguay in 1930, Croatian footballers boycotted the national team of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A friendly match against Switzerland in 1940 is considered the first match of the Croatian national football team. After the Second World War, Croatian footballers played on the Yugoslav national team and participated in winning 4 Olympic medals (gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome and 3 silver medals, at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne). The Croatian national football team won 3 medals at the FIFA World Cup (silver medal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and 2 bronze medals, at the 1998 World Cup in France and 2022 World Cup in Qatar). Dinamo and Hajduk are the most successful Croatian clubs in national championships, and in international club competitions, Dinamo won the European Fair Cities Cup in 1967.