Zagreb County

Zagreb County (Zagrebačka županija) is an administrative division in northern Croatia that surrounds the national capital without containing it: the city of Zagreb, where the county has its seat, separated from it administratively in 1997 on receiving its own status, which is why the county is known as the 'Zagreb ring'. With close to 300,000 inhabitants according to the 2021 census and some 3,060 square kilometres, it comprises 9 towns and 25 municipalities; Velika Gorica is the largest, alongside Samobor, Zaprešić, Sveta Nedelja, Dugo Selo, Ivanić-Grad, Jastrebarsko, Sveti Ivan Zelina and Vrbovec. It borders Slovenia and six Croatian counties, and Franjo Tuđman Airport, the country's largest, lies within its territory. Its heritage includes Samobor's main square and old bridge, Erdődy Castle in Jastrebarsko, the Petar Zrinski tower in Vrbovec and the Turopolje Museum in Velika Gorica.

The county's sport rests on a network of mid-sized towns with a track record in the ACES network: Velika Gorica was European City of Sport 2023 and Jastrebarsko European Town of Sport 2023. Velika Gorica is also the site of the future training centre of the Croatian Football Federation, now under construction. According to its officials, the county is in the largest investment cycle in its history for education and sports infrastructure: with 98 million euros in non-repayable funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan it is building and extending schools, including 20 new school sports halls, and in 2026 it allocated a sports budget of 2.5 million euros.

From 25 to 27 May 2026, the ACES Europe evaluation commission toured facilities and programmes in Velika Gorica, Samobor and Zaprešić, from school sport and parasport to horse riding, padel and bowling, and in June 2026 Zagreb County was designated European Region of Sport 2027. The decision recognised its investment in infrastructure, access to sport for all generations and cooperation between local communities and sports organisations. The title year will unfold in 2027 within the Croatian representation in the ACES network.