A number of stars have a rooting interest in the World Cup final!
Soccer fans from England and Belgium were left disappointed this week, as their beloved national teams suffered losses in the semifinal round of the 2018 World Cup. But two powerhouse squads remain -- France and Croatia will go head to head on Saturday for World Cup glory, and their fans around the world will be rooting them on.
Despite the somewhat unexpected championship matchup -- Croatia was only given a seven percent chance to make the final game, and three percent to win, at the start of the tournament -- a surprising number of celebs and famous athletes have a rooting interest in either the Croatian or French team, due to patriotic pride or family heritage. Here's a look at a few of the famous French fans and Croatian celebs to be watching during the final showdown of World Cup 2018:
Timeless star Goran Visnjic, who was born in Croatia, has been cheering on his home country since the start of the tournament, posting a throwback pic in a Croatian kit, as well as a map showing his homeland's diminutive size as they took on host nation Russia in the quarterfinals.
And the 45-year-old star is more than ready for the finals, sharing "France, here we come.." following the Croatians' semifinal victory over England.
Veep star Anna Chlumsky, whose mother is Croatian, has also used her Twitter account to show support for "Vatreni," sharing simply "Wahoooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" when the Croats defeated England in the semifinals.
30 Rock star and stand-up comedian Judah Friedlander also has Croatian heritage on his mother's side, and shared his support for the team after the semifinal win.
"Much love to england, that was a tough result - but my mom's croatian-american, so im rooting for croatia," Friedlander wrote. "Congrats on an amazing win croatia! next it's time win over france in a rematch of the 1998 semi-final. #hrvastka #Croatia #ENGCRO."
Shark Tank star Robert Herjavec was born in Croatia before his family emigrated to Canada, and the businessman has delighted in cheering on his home country throughout their thrilling World Cup run. He celebrated with a hilarious pic on a British Airways flight on Jul. 11, after Vatreni defeated the Three Lions in the semifinals.
"Just landed on British Airways back home !" Herjavec captioned a grinning pic with a glum stewardess. "Finals here we come - if we are nothing else we are resilient, us Croatians !! #CRO #WorldCup2018 @lukamodric10 so proud ! My BA crew not so happy !"
Herjavec's wife, Kym, even had the couple's adorable twins kitted out for the victory, sharing a pic of "The cheering squad ?? ⚽️," 2-month-old Hudson and Haven.
More stars who have shown their support for their Croatian heritage and the national team's unexpected World Cup run include Days of Our Lives vet Patrick Muldoon and MMA fighter Stipe Miocic.
On the French side, Guardians of the Galaxy star Pom Klementieff celebrated her home country's final draw with a glamour shot of her holding a massive soccer ball. "Waiting for the final of the World Cup like... #allezlesbleus."
DJ David Guetta shared his celebratory spirit after France beat Belgium in the semifinals, posting several pics of the celebrations in Paris with the caption, "La plus grosse fête de tous les temps se prépare."
Jurassic World star Omar Sy posted a pic of his French squad after they made the final match, writing, "ON-EST-EN-FINALE !!!!!"
Many pro athletes also shared their support for "Les Bleus," including Joel Embiid and Tony Parker.
And the New York Knicks celebrated the Croatia-France finals with a friendly shot of teammates Mario Hezonja and Frank Ntilikina, who will be rivals for the day when their home countries take on each other in the finals.
Check out the gallery below to see even more celeb soccer fans who have rooted on their countrymen in the 2018 World Cup!
