In Croatia football appears in Rijeka and Županja in 1873, when two English emigrants presented it to Croatian citizens. Twenty years later, the official rules of the game were made, after which football clubs were formed. The first informal match in Croatia was held in June 1903. From 1919 to 1939 Croatian footballers played for the national team of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and from 1945 to 1990 the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The contemporary Croatian football team was founded in 1990, and in 1993 it officially became a member of FIFA and UEFA. In the first international matches the Croatian national team played were qualifications for Euro 1996. In 1998 at the World Championships in France the team won the bronze, and Davor Šuker was the best scorer of the championship. In addition to the "Golden Generation" of 1998, Zlatko Dalić brought in Russia in 2018 the team to the World Cup Finals where they won the silver medal.
The Croatian Handball Team became independent in 1991, and on the international scene it appeared in qualifications for Euro 1994 and since the European Championship in 2018 it participated 30 times in the Olympic Games, the World and European Championships, 18 times participated in the semi-finals from the winning 13 medal and three gold, which, with achievements in the Yugoslav team, is the third most successful representation in history. A total of 97 Croatian handball players and coaches participated in major competitions, with 275 medals won: 65 golden, 95 silver and 115 bronze medals. Of all the achievements of the team, the most prestigious gold medals from the World Championships in 1996 and 2004, with the medals of 1972 and 1984, the Croatian national team is the only Russian national team with four Olympic gold medals. In the last 16 years, the Croatian handball team is among the five most successful in the world and is at the same time the most accomplished team in Croatian history. In conclusion, Croatian handball team has two Olympic gold and bronze medals; gold, three silver and bronze from the World championships, and two European silvers and three bronzes. As one of the most successful Croatian team players, Ivano Balić has won eight medals and is the title of the best handball player in history.
The Croatian water polo team can boast the status of one of the world's best teams. From Croatia's independence until 2018, Croatian water polo players have participated in the Olympic Games, World and European Championships, Mediterranean Games, World Cups, European Cups and World Leagues, and they have won a total of 25 medals: gold at the London Olympics in 2012, at the 2007 Melbourne World Championships the Budapest World Championship in 2017, the European Championships in Zagreb in 2010, the Mediterranean Games in Mersin 2013, the World Cup in Almaty 2012 and the European Cup in Rijeka in 2018.