The Croatian national football team has left a lasting diplomatic legacy in the United States, sparking a new city partnership. Alexandria, Virginia, approved a one-year friendship city agreement with Osijek, Croatia's fourth-largest city, on October 13, following the squad's use of Episcopal High School as its home base during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This comes as the team is on a run of three consecutive defeats, including the most recent 1-2 loss to Spain on October 6, where the sole goal was scored by Ivan Perišić.
The Croatian Embassy in Washington initiated the partnership outreach after the tournament, and the agreement was proposed by Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins. It is a non-binding arrangement serving as a trial period for a potential full sister city relationship, with an initial focus on sports. "A Friendship City designation is a non-binding version of a Sister City agreement." stated the City Council's docket.
The first concrete event under the partnership will be a Croatia-USA sports event hosted by the Embassy at The Satire in Alexandria on October 19. A task force will be formed to report progress to the City Council throughout the year, and no initial fiscal impact is expected from the agreement. Alexandria is already sister cities with Gyumri, Armenia; Caen, France; Helsingborg, Sweden; and Dundee, Scotland.
This diplomatic initiative comes as the national team handles a challenging run of form. Following a 1-2 loss to Spain on October 6, the team has recorded just one win in its last four matches, suffering three defeats. This recent form includes a heavy 0-7 defeat to England on October 3. The next challenge is an away fixture against England on November 12, facing the group leaders. Historic matches like this could become part of the future sports exchange between the two cities as Croatia continues its build-up for upcoming qualifiers. Ahead of that trip, the team will reflect on its sole victory in the last four outings, a 2-1 win over Czechia on September 26.
Read the full report at wjla.com
