The 2025–26 season was the 80th season in the existence of HNK Rijeka and the club's 35th consecutive season in the top flight of Croatian football. In addition to the domestic league, Rijeka competed in the Croatian Cup, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League.
Season overview
Opening weeks and managerial change
Rijeka entered the season as defending Croatian league and cup champions under head coach Radomir Đalović. Their European campaign began in the second qualifying round of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League. After drawing 0–0 with Ludogorets Razgrad at Rujevica, Rijeka lost the return match 3–1 after extra time and were eliminated 3–1 on aggregate.
Transferring to the Europa League, Rijeka lost 2–1 at home to Irish champions Shelbourne in the third qualifying round. They overturned the deficit with a 3–1 victory in Dublin, scoring through Toni Fruk, Tiago Dantas and Ante Oreč to progress 4–3 on aggregate. Rijeka then defeated PAOK 1–0 at Rujevica in the first leg of the play-off round, but lost the return match 5–0 in Thessaloniki. The 5–1 aggregate defeat placed Rijeka in the league phase of the Conference League.
Rijeka also made an inconsistent start to their league-title defence, collecting five points from their opening five matches. Following the defeat by PAOK and a 2–2 draw away to Hajduk Split, Đalović was dismissed on 1 September. He departed after 52 matches in charge, having led the club to the league and cup double the previous season. Spanish coach Víctor Sánchez was appointed two days later on a two-year contract.
Sánchez and the European campaign
Rijeka's domestic results remained uneven during Sánchez's first months, although the team recorded a historic 5–0 victory over Hajduk at Rujevica on 22 November. Fruk scored a first-half hat-trick, while Samuele Vignato and Luka Menalo added second-half goals. It was Rijeka's largest victory over Hajduk in the history of the Adriatic derby.
In the Conference League, Rijeka opened the league phase with a 1–0 defeat away to Noah. They earned their first victory against Sparta Prague at Rujevica in a match played over two days because of heavy rain, with Daniel Adu-Adjei scoring the only goal. Draws against Lincoln Red Imps and AEK Larnaca were followed by a 3–0 home victory over Celje. Rijeka completed the league phase with a 0–0 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk, finishing 16th with nine points and qualifying for the knockout phase play-offs. The result secured the club's first participation in the spring knockout phase of a UEFA competition in 45 years.
Rijeka faced Omonia in the knockout phase play-offs. A 1–0 victory in Nicosia was followed by a 3–1 win at Rujevica, sending Rijeka into the round of 16 with a 4–1 aggregate victory. Against Strasbourg, Rijeka lost the first leg 2–1 at home. Fruk gave them the lead in the return match at the Stade de la Meinau, temporarily levelling the tie on aggregate, but Valentín Barco equalised for Strasbourg in the second half. The 1–1 draw eliminated Rijeka 3–2 on aggregate.
Domestic cup and conclusion
In the Croatian Cup, Rijeka defeated Maksimir 4–0 and Mladost Ždralovi 4–1 in the opening two rounds. They met Hajduk in the quarter-finals and recovered from falling behind twice to win 3–2, with Fruk and Gabriel Rukavina scoring during second-half stoppage time. A 2–0 semi-final victory over Slaven Belupo sent the defending champions into their third consecutive cup final.
The final was played against Dinamo Zagreb at Opus Arena on 13 May. Two second-half goals from Luka Stojković gave Dinamo a 2–0 victory, leaving Rijeka as cup runners-up.
Rijeka's league campaign included 14 victories, 11 draws and 11 defeats. A five-match unbeaten run at the end of the season kept the club in contention for third place, but victories over Lokomotiva, Vukovar 1991 and Gorica were insufficient to overtake Varaždin. Rijeka finished fourth despite concluding the campaign with a 2–0 home win over Gorica, in which Amer Gojak scored both goals. Fruk finished as the club's leading scorer with 19 goals in all competitions, including 12 in the league.
Competitions Overall
SuperSport HNL
League table
Results summary
Results by round
Results by opponent TeamResultsPoints1234Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 1–2 0–0 2–2 2Gorica 3–1 1–0 0–4 2–0 9Hajduk Split 2–2 5–0 0–1 0–0 5Istra 1961 0–0 2–1 0–2 0–0 5Lokomotiva 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–0 8Osijek 0–0 4–2 0–1 0–2 4Slaven Belupo 2–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 8Varaždin 1–2 0–1 3–1 0–1 3Vukovar 1991 2–3 3–1 1–0 3–0 9 Source: 2025–26 Croatian Football League article
Matches Croatian Football League
Croatian Cup
UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Conference League
Friendlies Pre-season
In-season (2025)
Mid-season
In-season (2026)
Player seasonal records Updated 23 May 2026. Competitive matches only.
Goals Rank Name League Europe Cup Total1 Toni Fruk 12 6 1 192 Daniel Adu-Adjei 6 4 1 113 Tiago Dantas 7 1 2 104 Ante Matej Jurić 4 – 1 5 Amer Gojak 2 1 2 5 Duje Čop 2 – 3 57 Luka Menalo 3 1 – 48 Merveil Ndockyt 3 – – 3 Ante Oreč 2 1 – 310 Stjepan Radeljić 2 – – 2 Dejan Petrovič 1 1 – 2 Samuele Vignato 1 – 1 213 Bruno Bogojević 1 – – 1 Šimun Butić 1 – – 1 Mladen Devetak 1 – – 1 Anel Husić 1 – – 1 Niko Janković – 1 – 1 Ante Majstorović – 1 – 1 Dimitri Legbo – – 1 1 Gabriel Rukavina – – 1 1TOTALS49171379 Source: Competitive matches
Clean sheets Rank Name League Europe Cup Total 1 Martin Zlomislić 11 7 1 19 2 Aleksa Todorović 3 – 2 5TOTALS147324 Source: Competitive matches
Disciplinary record NumberPositionPlayerHNLEuropeCroatian CupTotal4MF Niko Janković2001010003016DF Stjepan Radeljić80020010011007MF Tornike Morchiladze2000100002108MF Dejan Petrovič4023000007029FW Duje Čop20010000030010MF Toni Fruk20010110040111FW Gabriel Rukavina10000100010113GK Martin Zlomislić10000000010014MF Amer Gojak20000000020017MF Luka Menalo30010000040018FW Daniel Adu-Adjei10000000010019MF Samuele Vignato10000000010020MF Merveil Ndockyt10030000040021MF Silvio Ilinković10000000010022DF Ante Oreč510500000101023DF Justas Lasickas50010000060024DF Dimitri Legbo00100010010125FW Dominik Thaqi20000000020026MF Tiago Dantas40000010050027FW Šimun Butić20000000020028DF Teo Barišić00010000010030MF Bruno Bogojević10000000010034DF Mladen Devetak800300100120045DF Ante Majstorović701310100111151DF Anel Husić30020010060055MF Alfonso Barco60020000080066MF Branko Pavić10000000010077FW Ante Matej Jurić400100000500TOTALS7914302370011637 Source: nk-rijeka.hr
Appearances and goals NumberPositionPlayer Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsTotalHNLEuropeCroatian Cup2DF Lovro Kitin50+30+00+104MF Niko Janković231+20+21+106DF Stjepan Radeljić422+32+00+007MF Tornike Morchiladze130+50+20+107FW Omar Sijarić10+00+00+108MF Dejan Petrovič322+41+31+009FW Duje Čop375+142+70+3310MF Toni Fruk5019+412+06+0111FW Gabriel Rukavina181+80+30+1113GK Martin Zlomislić530+00+00+0014MF Amer Gojak445+152+51+1215MF Goran Grulović10+10+00+0016DF Viktor Vešligaj10+10+00+0017FW Luka Menalo274+53+51+1018FW Daniel Adu-Adjei4211+126+34+0119MF Samuele Vignato252+61+20+2120MF Merveil Ndockyt363+123+20+1021MF Silvio Ilinković60+20+10+0022DF Ante Oreč503+32+01+0023DF Justas Lasickas470+140+90+1024DF Dimitri Legbo161+80+00+2125FW Dominik Thaqi80+10+00+0026MF Tiago Dantas5210+27+31+1227FW Šimun Butić121+31+40+1028DF Teo Barišić90+20+00+0030MF Bruno Bogojević151+71+50+0034DF Mladen Devetak491+21+10+0045DF Ante Majstorović481+00+01+0051DF Anel Husić311+21+30+1055MF Alfonso Barco220+40+00+0064MF Dominik Yankov20+00+10+0066MF Branko Pavić100+20+00+0077FW Ante Matej Jurić395+134+60+2187MF Damir Kreilach20+10+10+0091DF Noel Bodetić110+50+00+1099GK Aleksa Todorović50+00+00+10 Source: nk-rijeka.hr
Suspensions Date Incurred Competition Player Games Missed Reason30 Jul 2025UCL Toni Fruk1 Gabriel Rukavina29 Aug 2025HNL Dejan Petrovič12 Aug 2025UEL Ante Oreč1 28 Aug 2025UEL Ante Majstorović27 Sep 2025HNL Mladen Devetak 2 Oct 2025UECL Niko Janković31 Nov 2025HNL Ante Majstorović1 11 Dec 2025UECL Dejan Petrovič 21 Dec 2025HNL Dejan Petrovič 20 Jan 2026HNL Stjepan Radeljić 24 Jan 2026HNL Ante Majstorović214 Feb 2026HNL Ante Matej Jurić1 Justas Lasickas 19 Feb 2026UECL Tornike Morchiladze Merveil Ndockyt 22 Feb 2026HNL Dejan Petrovič212 Mar 2026UECL Ante Majstorović1 15 Mar 2026HNL Ante Oreč 12 Apr 2026HNL Alfonso Barco Mladen Devetak 18 Apr 2026HNL Tiago Dantas Ante Oreč Stjepan Radeljić 17 May 2026HNL Dimitri Legbo2
Penalties For Date Competition Player Opposition Scored? 6 Aug 2025UEL Niko JankovićShelbourne 22 Sep 2025HNL Toni FrukVukovar 1991 6 Dec 2025HNL Toni FrukVukovar 1991 20 Jan 2026HNL Tiago DantasIstra 1961 14 Feb 2026HNL Toni FrukVaraždin 4 Mar 2026Cup Tiago DantasHajduk Split Toni Fruk 8 Mar 2026HNL Toni FrukVukovar 1991 4 Apr 2026HNL Toni FrukSlaven Belupo 18 Apr 2026HNL Tiago DantasDinamo Zagreb Tiago Dantas Against Date Competition Goalkeeper Opposition Scored? 30 Jul 2025UCL Martin ZlomislićLudogorets Razgrad 12 Aug 2025UEL Martin ZlomislićShelbourne 16 Aug 2025HNL Martin ZlomislićDinamo Zagreb 24 Aug 2025HNL Martin ZlomislićVaraždin 22 Sep 2025HNL Martin ZlomislićVukovar 1991 6 Nov 2025UECL Martin ZlomislićLincoln Red Imps 22 Mar 2026HNL Martin ZlomislićGorica 18 Apr 2026HNL Martin ZlomislićDinamo Zagreb 22 Apr 2026HNL Martin ZlomislićVaraždin
Transfers In DatePos.PlayerMoving fromTypeFeeRef.3 Jun 2025RW Omar Sijarić Erzgebirge AueTransferFree21 Jun 2025AM Dominik Yankov CF MontréalTransfer€350,00025 Jun 2025RB Justas Lasickas Olimpija LjubljanaTransferFree25 Jun 2025AM Merveil Ndockyt GoricaTransferFree26 Jun 2025GK Domagoj Ivan Marić Karlovac 1919Return from loan26 Jun 2025CB Anel Husić Young BoysTransfer€400,00026 Jun 2025CF Komnen Andrić Lokomotiva ZagrebReturn from loan30 Jun 2025GK Josip Posavec PrimorjeReturn from loan30 Jun 2025RW Matej Momčilovski Brinje GrosupljeReturn from loan30 Jun 2025LW Dominik Simčić BSK Bijelo BrdoReturn from loan5 Jul 2025CF Ante Matej Jurić BresciaTransferFree7 Jul 2025CM Tiago Dantas OsijekTransferFree11 Jul 2025AM Toni Fruk FiorentinaPurchased percentage of future transfer€3,500,00018 Jul 2025CM Damir Kreilach Vancouver WhitecapsTransferFree26 Aug 2025CF Daniel Adu-Adjei BournemouthTransferFree2 Sep 2025AM Samuele Vignato MonzaTransferFree7 Jan 2026LW Tornike Morchiladze Dinamo TbilisiTransferFree12 Jan 2026AM Florent Shehu OpatijaTransferFree14 Jan 2026RB Teo Barišić LyonTransfer€400,00016 Jan 2026DM Alfonso Barco EmelecTransferFree19 Jan 2026DM Branko Pavić Dinamo ZagrebTransfer€400,00022 Jan 2026LB Dimitri Legbo Inter TurkuTransferFree Source: Glasilo Hrvatskog nogometnog saveza
Out