The Croatia national football team (Croatian: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) represents Croatia in men's international football matches and is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS). The team was recognised by both FIFA and UEFA following the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Sides were active during period of political upheaval, representing sovereign entities such as the Banovina of Croatia from 1939 to 1941 or the Independent State of Croatia from 1941 to 1944. ince becoming eligible to compete, Croatia has only failed to qualify for two major tournament: the UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The team represents the second-smallest country by population and land mass to reach a World Cup finals, behind Uruguay and Netherlands respectively.