Croatia
“Breathtaking” might initially come to mind when describing Croatian supporters who backed their team during the 2018 World Cup, yet even this superlative fails to capture their extraordinary devotion. The Croatian national team’s remarkable journey through the tournament—defeating Denmark, Belgium, Russia, and England to reach the final—offers compelling evidence of how elite athletes perform when inspired by beauty in the stands.
Though Croatia ultimately didn’t secure the World Cup championship, advancing to face France in the final represents a tremendous achievement for this relatively small nation. Their impressive tournament performance dramatically improved their FIFA ranking, rising from 17th in 2014 to 4th following their 2018 campaign.