North Macedonia national football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
North Macedonia

Nickname(s)	Рисови Risovi (Lynxes) Лавови Lavovi (Lions)
Association	Football Federation of Macedonia
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Blagoja Milevski
Captain	Enis Bardhi
Most caps	Goran Pandev (122)
Top scorer	Goran Pandev (38)
Home stadium	Toše Proeski Arena
FIFA code	MKD
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	71 3 (7 February 2019)
Highest	46 (October 2008)
Lowest	166 (March 2017)
Elo ranking
Current	77 1 (3 March 2019)
Highest	41 (12 April 2017)
Lowest	113 (January 2017)
First international
Unofficial Vojvodina 3–1 Macedonia (Belgrade; 3 September 1945) Official  Slovenia 1–4 Macedonia  (Kranj, Slovenia; 13 October 1993)
Biggest win
Liechtenstein 1–11 Macedonia  (Eschen, Liechtenstein; 9 November 1996)
Biggest defeat
England 7–0 North Macedonia  (Manchester, England; 19 June 2023)
European Championship
Appearances	1 (first in 2020)
Best result	Group stage (2020)
Website	ffm.mk

The North Macedonia national football team represents North Macedonia in men's international football. The team is managed by the Football Federation of Macedonia. They play their home games at the Toše Proeski National Arena in Skopje.

North Macedonia has made history by reaching Euro 2020. This was their first big tournament. They also reached the play-off final for the 2022 World Cup. They achieved this after beating strong teams like Germany and Italy.

History of the Team

Between 1945 and 1992, the team from SR Macedonia could not play official matches. They mostly played friendly games against other teams from SFR Yugoslavia. Macedonian players wore the traditional red, yellow, and white colors.

Starting Out (1993–1996)

In 1994, the Republic of Macedonia joined FIFA and UEFA. This happened after they became independent from Yugoslavia. Their first official match was a 4–1 win against Slovenia. This friendly game took place on 13 October 1993. Coach Andon Dončevski led the team.

They continued their winning streak. They won their next two friendly games against Slovenia and Estonia.

First Euro Qualifiers (1996)

The Euro '96 qualifiers was their first major tournament. Macedonia was in a group with Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus, and Armenia. Their first official game was a 1–1 draw against Denmark. Denmark was the reigning European champion at the time.

Macedonia lost 5–0 to Belgium on 7 June 1995. This was one of their biggest losses ever. They did not qualify for Euro '96. They finished fourth in their group with seven points.

New Coaches and World Cup Dreams (1996–2001)

1998 World Cup Qualifiers

Macedonia tried to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. They were in a group with Romania, Republic of Ireland, Lithuania, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

They started the tournament with a 3–0 home win against Liechtenstein on 24 April 1996. On 9 November 1996, Macedonia had their biggest win ever. They beat Liechtenstein 11–1. They also defeated the Republic of Ireland 3–2 at home. This was their first win against a major European team. However, they did not qualify for the 1998 World Cup. They finished fourth in their group with 13 points.

Euro 2000 Qualifiers

For Euro 2000, Macedonia was grouped with FR Yugoslavia, Republic of Ireland, Croatia, and Malta. They started with a 4–0 home win against Malta on 6 September 1998. A notable result was a 1–1 draw against Croatia in June 1999. Georgi Hristov scored a late goal.

They also drew 1–1 against the Republic of Ireland with a last-minute goal from Goran Stavrevski. This helped Yugoslavia qualify and eliminated Croatia. But Macedonia did not qualify again. They finished fourth with eight points.

2002 World Cup Qualifiers

Macedonia's 2002 World Cup qualifying group included Sweden, Turkey, Slovakia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan. They lost their first match 2–0 to Slovakia on 3 September 2000. The team did not qualify for the 2002 World Cup. They finished fourth in their group with seven points.

Ups and Downs (2001–2006)

Euro 2004 Qualifiers

In the Euro 2004 Qualifiers, Macedonia played against England, Turkey, Slovakia, and Liechtenstein. Macedonia played England in Southampton, England. This was England's first home game in Southampton in almost 100 years. Macedonia took an early lead when Artim Šakiri scored directly from a corner kick. England tied the game, but Macedonia led again. The game ended in a 2–2 draw.

Macedonia lost to England 2–1 at home in September 2003. Their only win in this campaign was a 3–1 home victory against Liechtenstein on 7 June 2003.

2006 World Cup Qualifiers

Macedonia was in Group 1 for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. They were with the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, Armenia, and Andorra. They started with a 3–0 home win against Armenia on 18 August 2004. After this, Macedonia did not win another home game for over three years.

On 9 October 2004, Macedonia surprised everyone with a 2–2 draw against the Netherlands in Skopje. But four days later, they lost 1–0 to Andorra away. In June 2005, they lost 6–1 to the Czech Republic. This was a new record for most goals conceded in a game. Coach Slobodan Santrač resigned in August 2005. Boban Babunski took over temporarily. Even though they did not qualify, Macedonia was the only team in their group not to lose to the Netherlands.

Srečko Katanec's Time and Best FIFA Ranking (2006–2010)

Agim Ibraimi

On 17 February 2006, Srečko Katanec became the new head coach. He signed a two-year contract. Before the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Macedonia won friendly games against Ecuador (2–1) and Turkey (1–0).

Euro 2008 Qualifiers

Macedonia was in Group E for the Euro 2008 qualifiers. They were with England, Croatia, Russia, Israel, Estonia, and Andorra. They started with a 1–0 away win against Estonia on 16 August 2006. On 6 September, England beat Macedonia 1–0. This was the first time Macedonia failed to score against England.

A month later, on 7 October 2006, they drew 0–0 with England in Manchester. On 17 October 2007, Macedonia won a home game for the first time since August 2004. They defeated Andorra 3–0. They also had an impressive 2–0 win over Croatia on 17 November 2007. Croatia was a top ten team in the FIFA World Rankings. Despite these wins, Macedonia did not qualify for Euro 2008. They finished fifth in their group with 14 points.

2010 World Cup Qualifiers

Vanče Šikov

For the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Macedonia was grouped with the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, and Iceland. Coach Srečko Katanec's contract was extended. Macedonia drew friendly games against Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Poland.

They started the campaign with a 1–0 home win against Scotland on 6 September 2008. Ilčo Naumoski scored the goal. These results helped them reach their highest ever FIFA ranking, 46th, in October 2008. However, Katanec resigned in April 2009 after a 4–0 loss to the Netherlands. Mirsad Jonuz, the under-21 team manager, took over. On 12 August 2009, they played a friendly against Spain. Spain won 3–2 after being 2–0 down. Macedonia then lost to Scotland and Norway.

Challenges and Comebacks (2010–2018)

Euro 2012 Qualifiers

Veliče Šumulikoski

Macedonia was in Group B for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. They were with Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Armenia, and Andorra. They won friendlies against Azerbaijan (3–1) and Romania (1–0). They drew 1–1 with Malta.

Macedonia finished fifth in their group. They only had two wins against Andorra and two home draws against Armenia and Slovakia. Manager Mirsad Jonuz was replaced by John Toshack on 18 June 2011.

2014 World Cup Qualifiers

For the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Macedonia was in a group with Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, and Wales. John Toshack resigned in August 2012 and Čedomir Janevski became coach. They lost to Croatia and drew with Scotland. They lost to Croatia again but won against Serbia in Skopje with a penalty kick by Agim Ibraimi. They lost twice to Belgium, who won the group.

Macedonia beat Wales but lost to Scotland at home. Janevski left the team in September 2013. Zoran Stratev coached the last two matches. They lost away to Wales and Serbia, finishing last in their group. Many players, including Goran Pandev, retired from the national team due to problems with the Football Federation. In November 2013, Boško Gjurovski became the new manager.

Euro 2016 Qualifiers

The team before a match with Ukraine in 2014

On 23 February 2014, Macedonia was placed in Group C for the Euro 2016 qualifiers. They were with Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus, and Luxembourg. They lost 5–1 to Spain. Their only win was against Luxembourg in Skopje.

After that, Macedonia lost four games in a row. Coach Boško Gjurovski was replaced by Ljubinko Drulović on 7 April 2015. They had more losses, including a surprising one to Luxembourg. Macedonia drew their last match with Belarus but still finished last in their group.

2018 World Cup Qualifiers

On 25 July 2015, the groups for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers were drawn. Macedonia was grouped with Spain again, and for the first time, with Italy. They also played Albania, Israel, and Liechtenstein.

In October 2015, Drulović left. Igor Angelovski became the new manager. That same month, Goran Pandev, a UEFA Champions League winner, returned to the national team. Macedonia started with a disappointing loss to Albania. The game was interrupted by weather. They also lost to Israel at home after missing a penalty. They lost to Italy despite leading 2–1. At the end of 2016, Spain beat Macedonia 4–0. Macedonia had no points, their worst start ever.

In March 2017, Macedonia finally won a qualifier, beating Liechtenstein 3–0. They lost to Spain 2–1. They then beat Israel away 1–0, with a goal by Goran Pandev. This was their first win against Israel. Macedonia later drew 1–1 with Albania.

Recent Success (2018–Present)

2018–19 UEFA Nations League

Goran Pandev is North Macedonia's top goalscorer and their most capped player.

In the first UEFA Nations League, Macedonia played in League D, the lowest division. They were in Group 4 with Armenia, Liechtenstein, and Gibraltar. The team won their group with five wins and one loss. They were promoted to League C for the next tournament. This also guaranteed them a spot in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs.

Euro 2020 Qualifiers

Stefan Ristovski

For UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, North Macedonia was in Group G. They played against Austria, Israel, Latvia, Poland, and Slovenia. They started well, drawing 1–1 away to Slovenia and beating Latvia 3–1 at home. However, they then lost to Poland (1–0) and Austria (4–1). They drew 1–1 away to Israel and won 2–1 at home against Slovenia. North Macedonia then lost away to Poland (2–0) and Austria (2–1), finishing third in the group.

Because they won their Nations League group, North Macedonia got to play in the country's first ever play-off. They beat Kosovo 2–1 in the semi-final. Then, in the final, they faced Georgia in Tbilisi on 13 November. They won 1–0, making history by qualifying for Euro 2020!

2020–21 UEFA Nations League

After winning their League D group, North Macedonia was promoted to League C. They were in Group 2 with Armenia, Estonia, and Georgia.

UEFA Euro 2020 Debut

North Macedonia played in the Euros for the first time in 2020 (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). They lost all three of their Group C matches. They lost to Austria, Ukraine, and the Netherlands. Goran Pandev scored against Austria, and Ezgjan Alioski scored against Ukraine. North Macedonia was the second team to debut in the Euros, after Finland.

2022 World Cup Qualifiers

For the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, North Macedonia was in Group J. They were with Germany, Romania, Iceland, Armenia, and Liechtenstein. In their third match, North Macedonia beat Germany 2–1 in Duisburg. This was Germany's first World Cup qualification loss since 2001. In their last two games, North Macedonia won both. They beat Armenia 5–0 away and Iceland 3–1 at home. This put them in second place in Group J.

They qualified for the play-offs. On 24 March 2022, they defeated the reigning European champions Italy in Palermo. They then faced Portugal in the play-off final on 29 March, where they lost 2–0.

2022–23 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024 Qualification

North Macedonia played in the UEFA Nations League against Georgia, Gibraltar, and Bulgaria. They finished third in their group. In the Euro 2024 qualifying, North Macedonia did not qualify for the UEFA Euro 2024. They finished fourth in their group, behind England, Italy, and Ukraine, but above Malta.

Team Home Grounds

The North Macedonia national football team plays its home matches at various stadiums. The main stadium is the Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje.

Team Uniforms

UEFA Euro 2020 Debut Kit

The team has had different kit suppliers over the years.

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	1992–1993
Gems	1994–1998
Puma	1998–2014
Jako	2015–present

Current Team Players

The players listed below were called up for the Nations League C matches in November 2024. Caps and goals are correct as of 17 November 2024, after the match against  Faroe Islands.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Stole Dimitrievski	(1993-12-25) 25 December 1993 (age 31)	76	0	Valencia
22	1GK	Damjan Shishkovski	(1995-03-18) 18 March 1995 (age 30)	11	0	Borac
12	1GK	Igor Aleksovski	(1995-02-24) 24 February 1995 (age 30)	1	0	Rabotnichki
	1GK	Marko Alchevski	(2002-04-16) 16 April 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Hapoel Jerusalem
8	2DF	Ezgjan Alioski	(1992-02-12) 12 February 1992 (age 33)	81	12	Al-Ahli
	2DF	Visar Musliu	(1994-11-13) 13 November 1994 (age 30)	64	1	Paderborn 07
14	2DF	Darko Velkovski	(1995-06-21) 21 June 1995 (age 29)	55	3	Unattached
3	2DF	Stefan Ashkovski	(1992-02-24) 24 February 1992 (age 33)	35	0	Şanlıurfaspor
5	2DF	Gjoko Zajkov	(1995-02-10) 10 February 1995 (age 30)	34	1	Universitatea Craiova
4	2DF	Nikola Serafimov	(1999-08-11) 11 August 1999 (age 25)	20	1	Fehérvár
13	2DF	Bojan Dimoski	(2001-11-23) 23 November 2001 (age 23)	18	0	Akron
15	2DF	Jovan Manev	(2001-01-25) 25 January 2001 (age 24)	10	1	Adana Demirspor
2	2DF	Bojan Ilievski	(1999-09-01) 1 September 1999 (age 25)	2	0	Struga
	2DF	Andrej Stojchevski	(2003-05-26) 26 May 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Žilina
10	3MF	Enis Bardhi (captain)	(1995-07-02) 2 July 1995 (age 29)	70	18	Trabzonspor
	3MF	Elif Elmas	(1999-09-24) 24 September 1999 (age 25)	65	13	RB Leipzig
21	3MF	Jani Atanasov	(1999-10-31) 31 October 1999 (age 25)	22	3	Cracovia
17	3MF	David Babunski	(1994-03-01) 1 March 1994 (age 31)	18	0	Dundee United
16	3MF	Isnik Alimi	(1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 31)	13	2	Sepsi OSK
18	3MF	Sefer Emini	(2000-07-15) 15 July 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Sønderjyske
7	3MF	Behar Feta	(2003-04-07) 7 April 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Domžale
9	4FW	Aleksandar Trajkovski	(1992-09-05) 5 September 1992 (age 32)	91	21	Hajduk
19	4FW	Milan Ristovski	(1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 27)	30	4	Bohemians
20	4FW	Bojan Miovski	(1999-06-24) 24 June 1999 (age 25)	29	6	Girona
11	4FW	Darko Churlinov	(2000-07-11) 11 July 2000 (age 24)	29	4	Jagiellonia
23	4FW	Lirim Qamili	(1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 27)	9	1	Sønderjyske
6	4FW	Dimitar Mitrovski	(1999-01-28) 28 January 1999 (age 26)	6	0	Varaždin

Team Statistics

Players in bold are still active with Macedonia.

Most Games Played

Goran Pandev is North Macedonia's top goalscorer and their most capped player.

Top Goal Scorers

Team Captains

This is a list of players who have been captain for five or more official and friendly matches.

FIFA Ranking History

This table shows North Macedonia's average FIFA ranking each year. Their highest rank was 46th in October 2008. Their lowest was 166th in March 2017. As of March 25, 2022, they were 66th.

Images for kids

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  Toše Proeski Arena in Skopje

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  Stadion Mladost in Strumica

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  Ecolog Arena in Tetovo

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  Stadion Goce Delčev in Prilep

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Macedonia del Norte para niños

• List of Macedonia international footballers
• Macedonia national football team results
• Macedonia national under-21 football team
• Macedonia national under-19 football team
• Macedonia national under-17 football team
• Macedonia women's national football team