Too bad, England fans – guess the World Cup trophy isn’t “coming home” after all. In a stunning defeat, England lost out to Croatia in yesterday’s semifinal. The Croatians will not go neck to neck with France at the Luzhniki Stadium.

What’s interesting is that this is Croatia’s first time ever in the World Cup final, their second-best finish being the 1998 tournament when they stood in third place.

Croatia, with a population of 4.171 million is the second smallest nation in the tournament after Uruguay and if they manage to hold their own against France, this could very well be one of the most shocking victories in the history of the World Cup.

While the 1958 World Cup is a special one due to it being Pele’s debut on the world stage, it was also Sweden’s first time in the finals. The 1958 FIFA was hosted by Sweden and was won by Brazil in a 5-2 victory.

The 1966 FIFA World Cup was memorable because for the first time since 1934, all the semi-finalists were from Europe. It was hosted by England and it was won by the home team in a match against West Germany. The only hat-trick in FIFA history also took place during this final.

(Header credits: @HNS_CFF)