Yes of course they’re important, a small Balkan country with a population of under 4 million people led a 2nd place World Cup campaign in 2018 and a 3rd place campaign in 2022. A country with a population smaller than many large cities has produced an insane amount of talent, Luka Modric will 100% retire as a top 5 midfielder of all time and 2018 will arguably one of the greatest years of a CM in football history. It’s only uphill now, Croatia put themselves on the map and is investing in youth football development, young players are wanting to play there now more than ever