During the 2014 World Cup qualification, Perišić appeared in 12 matches for Croatia and scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw with Belgium. On 14 May, Perišić was named in Croatia's 30-man preliminary squad for the 2014 World Cup. On 31 May, he scored a brace in a 2–1 win against Mali in a World Cup warm-up match in Osijek. Perišić was confirmed as a member of Croatia's final 23-man World Cup squad on 2 June. Perišić was in Croatia's starting team for the opening match of the 2014 World Cup, a controversial 3–1 defeat to tournament hosts Brazil at the Arena Corinthians, São Paulo. In the following match, he scored Croatia's second goal as they defeated Cameroon 4–0. On 23 June, he scored a consolation goal in the team's final group match, 3–1 defeat to Mexico which eliminated them from the tournament. Despite Croatia's early elimination, Perišić was ranked as the second-best performing player of the group stage by FIFA.