# 2023–24 Croatian Football League

The 2023–24 Croatian Football League (officially SuperSport Hrvatska nogometna liga for sponsorship reasons) was the 33rd season of the Croatian top division football, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992. The season began on 21 July 2023.

## Teams

The league consisted of ten teams; the top nine teams from the previous season, and one team promoted from the Prva NL. 2022–23 Prva NL champions Rudeš were promoted and returned after a four-year absence, replacing the 2022–23 Croatian Football League bottom-placed team, Šibenik (relegated after three seasons in the top flight).

### Stadia and locations

| Dinamo Zagreb | Gorica | Hajduk Split | Istra 1961 |
| Stadion Maksimir | Gradski stadion Velika Gorica | Stadion Poljud | Stadion Aldo Drosina |
| Capacity: 24,851 | Capacity: 5,200 | Capacity: 33,987 | Capacity: 9,800 |
| Lokomotiva | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | Osijek |
| Stadion Kranjčevićeva | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | Opus Arena |
| Capacity: 5,350 | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | ZagrebGoricaHajduk SplitIstra 1961OsijekRijekaSlavenVaraždinZagreb clubs:Dinamo Lokomotiva Rudešclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2023–24 HNL | Capacity: 13,005 |
| Rijeka | Rudeš | Slaven Belupo | Varaždin |
| Stadion Rujevica | Stadion Kranjčevićeva | Stadion Ivan Kušek-Apaš | Stadion Varteks |
| Capacity: 8,191 | Capacity: 5,350 | Capacity: 3,054 | Capacity: 8,818 |
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Zagreb | Maksimir | 24,851 |
| Gorica | Velika Gorica | ŠRC Velika Gorica | 5,200 |
| Hajduk Split | Split | Poljud | 33,987 |
| Istra 1961 | Pula | Stadion Aldo Drosina | 9,800 |
| Lokomotiva | Zagreb | Kranjčevićeva$^1$ | 5,350 |
| Osijek | Osijek | Opus Arena | 13,005 |
| Rijeka | Rijeka | Rujevica | 8,191 |
| Rudeš | Zagreb | Kranjčevićeva$^1$ | 5,350 |
| Slaven Belupo | Koprivnica | Stadion Ivan Kušek-Apaš | 3,054 |
| Varaždin | Varaždin | Stadion Varteks | 8,818 |
* $^1$ Lokomotiva and Rudeš host their home matches at Stadion Kranjčevićeva. The stadium is originally the home ground of fifth-level side NK Zagreb.
| Rank | Counties of Croatia | Number of teams | Club(s) |
| 1 | City of Zagreb | 3 | Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva, Rudeš |
| 2 | Istria | 1 | Istra 1961 |
| 2 | Koprivnica-Križevci | 1 | Slaven Belupo |
| 2 | Osijek-Baranja | 1 | Osijek |
| 2 | Primorje-Gorski Kotar | 1 | Rijeka |
| 2 | Split-Dalmatia | 1 | Hajduk Split |
| 2 | Varaždin | 1 | Varaždin |
| 2 | Zagreb County | 1 | Gorica |

### Personnel and kits

| Club | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Sergej Jakirović | Arijan Ademi | Adidas | PSK |
| Gorica | Rajko Vidović | Filip Mrzljak | Alpas | Kömmerling |
| Hajduk Split | Jure Ivanković (caretaker) | Lovre Kalinić | Macron | Tommy |
| Istra 1961 | Paolo Tramezzani | Slavko Blagojević | Joma | Germania |
| Lokomotiva | Silvijo Čabraja | Mateo Marić | Macron | Favbet |
| Osijek | Ivo Smoje (caretaker) | Vedran Jugović | 2Rule | Mészáros és Mészáros Kft. |
| Rijeka | Željko Sopić | Nediljko Labrović | Joma | Favbet |
| Rudeš | Davor Mladina | Mateo Pavlović | Adidas | Sava Osiguranje |
| Slaven Belupo | Ivan Radeljić | Tomislav Božić | Jako | Belupo |
| Varaždin | Mario Kovačević | Igor Postonjski | Capelli Sport | BURAI |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Slaven Belupo | Zoran Zekić | Contract expired | 27 May 2023 | Ricardo Moniz | 7 May 2023 | Pre-season |
| Rudeš | Davor Mladina | Contract expired | 5 June 2023 | Robert Prosinečki | 7 June 2023 | Pre-season |
| Istra 1961 | Gonzalo Garcia | Mutual consent | 7 June 2023 | Mislav Karoglan | 11 June 2023 | Pre-season |
| Istra 1961 | Mislav Karoglan | Sacked | 9 August 2023 | David Català | 13 August 2023 | 9th |
| Dinamo Zagreb | Igor Bišćan | Sacked | 21 August 2023 | Sergej Jakirović | 21 August 2023 | 7th |
| Rijeka | Sergej Jakirović | Signed by Dinamo Zagreb | 21 August 2023 | Darko Raić-Sudar (caretaker) | 22 August 2023 | 3rd |
| Gorica | Željko Sopić | Signed by Rijeka | 23 August 2023 | Mensur Mujdža (caretaker) | 23 August 2023 | 5th |
| Rijeka | Darko Raić-Sudar (caretaker) | End of caretaker tenure | 25 August 2023 | Željko Sopić | 25 August 2023 | 3rd |
| Gorica | Mensur Mujdža (caretaker) | Signing of Jeličić | 30 August 2023 | Dinko Jeličić | 30 August 2023 | 6th |
| Rudeš | Robert Prosinečki | Sacked | 3 September 2023 | Toni Golem | 5 September 2023 | 10th |
| Slaven Belupo | Ricardo Moniz | Sacked | 4 September 2023 | Roy Ferenčina | 5 September 2023 | 9th |
| Osijek | Stjepan Tomas | Sacked | 3 October 2023 | Ivo Smoje (caretaker) | 3 October 2023 | 6th |
| Osijek | Ivo Smoje (caretaker) | Signing of Zekić | 13 October 2023 | Zoran Zekić | 13 October 2023 | 5th |
| Hajduk Split | Ivan Leko | Mutual consent | 23 October 2023 | Mislav Karoglan | 23 October 2023 | 2nd |
| Rudeš | Toni Golem | Mutual consent | 12 November 2023 | Ivan Mijač (caretaker) | 17 November 2023 | 10th |
| Rudeš | Ivan Mijač (caretaker) | Signing of Mladina | 6 December 2023 | Davor Mladina | 6 December 2023 | 10th |
| Istra 1961 | David Català | Sacked | 7 February 2024 | Paolo Tramezzani | 8 February 2024 | 8th |
| Gorica | Dinko Jeličić | Sacked | 11 March 2024 | Mensur Mujdža (caretaker) | 11 March 2024 | 6th |
| Gorica | Mensur Mujdža (caretaker) | Signing of Vidović | 18 March 2024 | Rajko Vidović | 18 March 2024 | 6th |
| Hajduk Split | Mislav Karoglan | Mutual consent | 8 April 2024 | Jure Ivanković (caretaker) | 8 April 2024 | 3rd |
| Slaven Belupo | Roy Ferenčina | Sacked | 9 April 2024 | Ivan Radeljić | 9 April 2024 | 9th |
| Osijek | Zoran Zekić | Sacked | 20 May 2024 | Ivo Smoje (caretaker) | 20 May 2024 | 4th |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Dinamo Zagreb (C) | 36 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 67 | 30 | +37 | 82 | Qualification to Champions League play-off round |
| 2 | Rijeka | 36 | 23 | 5 | 8 | 69 | 30 | +39 | 74 | Qualification to Europa League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Hajduk Split | 36 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 54 | 26 | +28 | 68 | Qualification to Conference League second qualifying round |
| 4 | Osijek | 36 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 62 | 43 | +19 | 57 | Qualification to Conference League second qualifying round |
| 5 | Lokomotiva | 36 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 52 | 45 | +7 | 51 | |
| 6 | Varaždin | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 42 | |
| 7 | Gorica | 36 | 11 | 8 | 17 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 41 | |
| 8 | Istra 1961 | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 36 | 54 | −18 | 41 | |
| 9 | Slaven Belupo | 36 | 9 | 6 | 21 | 43 | 69 | −26 | 33 | |
| 10 | Rudeš (R) | 36 | 1 | 6 | 29 | 22 | 85 | −63 | 9 | Relegation to First Football League |
* ↑ The 2023–24 Croatian Football Cup winners qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round. Since the cup winners (Dinamo Zagreb) qualified based on league position, the Europa League spot was passed to the second-placed team, and the second Conference League second qualifying round spot was passed to the fourth-placed team.

## Results

Each team plays home-and-away against every other team in the league twice, for a total of 36 matches each played.
| Home \ Away | DIN | GOR | HAJ | IST | LOK | OSI | RIJ | RUD | SLA | VAR | DIN | GOR | HAJ | IST | LOK | OSI | RIJ | RUD | SLA | VAR |
| Dinamo Zagreb | | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 5–2 | 1–0 |
| Gorica | 2–1 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Hajduk Split | 1–0 | 3–0 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 4–0 | 0–1 |
| Istra 1961 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | | 0–4 | 4–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 |
| Lokomotiva | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 3–0 | | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Osijek | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 3–0 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 |
| Rijeka | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | | 4–0 | 2–4 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 |
| Rudeš | 1–5 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 3–4 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 0–3 | | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Slaven Belupo | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | | 3–2 | 2–3 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 | | 0–1 |
| Varaždin | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | | 0–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | |

## Statistics
### Top scorers

    As of 26 May 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Ramón Miérez | Osijek | 18 |
| 2 | Fran Brodić | Varaždin (7), Dinamo Zagreb (6) | 13 |
| 3 | Duje Čop | Lokomotiva | 12 |
| 4 | Niko Janković | Rijeka | 11 |
| 4 | Bruno Petković | Dinamo Zagreb | 11 |
| 6 | Marko Livaja | Hajduk Split | 10 |
| 6 | Benedik Mioč | Slaven Belupo | 10 |
| 8 | Marin Šotiček | Lokomotiva | 8 |

## Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Player of the Season | Bruno Petković | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Manager of the Season | Sergej Jakirović | Dinamo Zagreb |
| Young Player of the Season | Martin Baturina | Dinamo Zagreb |
Team of the Year :
| Goalkeeper | Nediljko Labrović (Rijeka) | Nediljko Labrović (Rijeka) | Nediljko Labrović (Rijeka) | Nediljko Labrović (Rijeka) |
| Defence | Stefan Ristovski (Dinamo Zagreb) | Stjepan Radeljić (Rijeka) | Niko Galešić (Rijeka) | Bruno Goda (Rijeka) |
| Midfield | Toni Fruk (Rijeka) | Josip Mišić (Dinamo Zagreb) | Josip Mišić (Dinamo Zagreb) | Martin Baturina (Dinamo Zagreb) |
| Attack | Bruno Petković (Dinamo Zagreb) | Ramón Miérez (Osijek) | Ramón Miérez (Osijek) | Marko Pjaca (Rijeka) |

## Attendances

| # | Football club | Home games | Average attendance |
| 1 | Hajduk Split | 18 | 18,873 |
| 2 | Dinamo Zagreb | 18 | 9,013 |
| 3 | NK Osijek | 18 | 7,418 |
| 4 | HNK Rijeka | 18 | 6,406 |
| 5 | NK Varaždin | 18 | 2,969 |
| 6 | NK Istra 1961 | 18 | 2,603 |
| 7 | HNK Gorica | 18 | 1,830 |
| 8 | Lokomotiva Zagreb | 18 | 1,624 |
| 9 | Slaven Belupo | 18 | 1,280 |
| 10 | NK Rudeš | 18 | 1,143 |
Source: European Football Statistics