Miami World Cup 2018 Preparation Match: Peru Vs. Croatia

MIAMI, FL — Hard Rock Stadium announced on Wednesday that it will host a 2018 World Cup preparation match between Peru and Croatia. The match is scheduled for 8 p.m. on March 23.

"Both teams have qualified for the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia," according to a Hard Rock spokesperson. "This will be Peru’s first trip to the World Cup in 36 years. The FIFA World Rankings have Peru ranked 11th in the world and Croatia 17th."

Fans interested in buying tickets may register in advance during the pre-registration period from Jan. 3 through Jan. 8 at HardRockStadium.com.

"By preregistering, fans will be granted access to buy tickets during a presale on Jan. 9," the spokesperson said. "The general public ticket on sale will take place on Jan. 10. Tickets will be available via Ticketmaster.com with prices starting at $40."

Peru qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1982 by going undefeated in their last eight World Cup Qualifying matches and then defeated New Zealand 2-0 on aggregate in an intercontinental playoff on Nov. 15. Peru will compete in Group C alongside France, Australia and Denmark.

“Croatia is a very competitive team full of skilled players," said Peru Coach Ricardo Gareca, whose young squad is led by Jefferson Farfán, Christian Cueva, Pedro Gallese and Carlos Lobatón. "Our team worked very hard to qualify for the World Cup. I am sure our fans will travel from Peru and across the United States to support us in Miami during one of the few preparation matches that remain before our trip to Russia for the World Cup. It will be exciting to play on a big stage at Hard Rock Stadium.”

Croatia advanced to the World Cup after defeating Greece 4-1 on aggregate across the two legs of their qualifying play-off in November. This is the fifth time Croatia has qualified for the World Cup, previously qualifying in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2014, with a bronze medal finish in 1998.

Croatia will compete in Group D along with Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria with players that include Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona) and Mario Mandžukić (Juventus). In October, the Croatian Football Federation named Zlatko Dalić the National Team coach.

“This is an exciting opportunity to play Peru in Miami," explained Dalić of the Croatian team. "The Peru style of play will be a strong test as we prepare to compete in the World Cup against opponents including Argentina. We have heard about Hard Rock Stadium and expect the atmosphere to be very exciting. This will be a very competitive match.”

Hard Rock Stadium hosted El Clasico Real Madrid vs. Barcelona in July 2017. The facility has recently undergone a $500 million, multi-year renovation that was privately funded by owner Stephen Ross.

Image courtesy Hard Rock Stadium