Spain overran Croatia 3-0, striking three times in a sublime first half to earn maximum points with goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal in their Euro 2024 Group B opener on Saturday.
Spain were European champions as hosts in 1964, in 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, and in 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Croatia's best performances have been reaching the quarterfinals twice — in 1996 and 2008.
Besides Spain and Croatia, Group B also features defending champions Italy – all three teams are ranked in the top 10 of FIFA’s world rankings – and Albania.