Why is Croatia v England behind closed doors?

What the report says

England’s Nations League match against Croatia in Rijeka is being staged in a restricted setting because of disciplinary measures linked to crowd trouble involving Croatia supporters. BBC Sport reports that the game is officially behind closed doors, although it is not completely empty, after earlier incidents during Croatia’s match against France in March 2025 led to sanctions and a reduced crowd allowance.

According to BBC Sport, seven fans were detained on suspicion of making Nazi salutes at the France game and later released without prosecution because there was not enough evidence. Croatia supporters also lit fireworks in their section of the Stade de France, and Croatia were separately banned from bringing travelling fans to their 2-1 win in the Czech Republic last weekend. The match is being played at Stadion Riejka, the same ground where Croatia and England met in 2018 in another fixture held without spectators.

There will still be a limited audience. BBC Sport says between 3,000 and 6,000 Croatian schoolchildren have been allowed to attend. England supporters were initially excluded, but after talks with Uefa and England, the visiting side was later given 100 complimentary tickets. The arrangement highlights how football authorities can impose crowd restrictions after misconduct while still permitting a controlled presence at the venue.