A recent ranking by American sports website The Athletic placed Croatia’s national anthem, “Lijepa naša,” 40th out of 48 in a list of anthems being used at the FIFA World Cup. The anthem received a score of 3 out of 10. The Athletic described the song as lacking personality and vibrancy, characterizing it as “lifeless.” The ranking has sparked discussion regarding the anthem’s musical qualities and its representation of Croatian national identity. The portal assessed all participating nations’ anthems based on their musical impact and emotional resonance. This assessment reflects a subjective opinion on the anthems’ artistic merit. No other nations from the region were specifically highlighted in the report.