North Texas village's special connection to Croatia

As Croatia prepares to take the pitch in North Texas on Wednesday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one McKinney developer is sharing his special connection to the team.

Jeff Blackard says Adriatica was inspired by the Croatian coastline and incorporates a lot of the country's signature architectural features. Over the years, many Croatians have visited, including the national team back in 2018.

"The World Cup in 2018, they did the friendly against Mexico at Jerry World, and the team asked me to host them for that weekend, which I did, and they wanted to come see the Croatian village," said Blackard. "And then in that big house over there, we had a barbecue."

He says the Croatian flag will be flying high over Adriatica on Wednesday for the match.