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 (Macedonian: Фудбалска репрезентација на Северна Македонија, romanized: Fudbalska reprezentacija na Severna Makedonija) represents North Macedonia in men's international football, and is administered by the Football Federation of Macedonia. The team play their home matches at the Toše Proeski National Arena in Skopje.

North Macedonia has reached Euro 2020 (its first major tournament) and the European qualifying play-off final of the 2022 World Cup (after defeating Germany in Duisburg and Italy in Palermo).

History

Between 1945 and 1992, SR Macedonia was ineligible to play as a team for official matches. The team had mostly played exhibition matches against teams from other republics of SFR Yugoslavia and was represented by Macedonian players under the traditional red, yellow and white colors.

Early years (1993–96)

In 1994, the Republic of Macedonia became a single member of FIFA and UEFA after the independence and split of the Yugoslavia. They recorded their first match as a 4–1 victory against Slovenia in a friendly on 13 October 1993 under coach Andon Dončevski.

They went on to win their next two friendlies against Slovenia and Estonia.

Euro 1996 qualifiers

The Euro '96 qualifiers was the first major qualifying tournament that Macedonia participated in as an independent nation, grouped with Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Cyprus and Armenia. In their opening game, which was also their first ever official match, Macedonia played the reigning European champions Denmark, finishing 1–1 after Macedonia led for most of the game. In Euro '96 qualifying, Macedonia suffered one of its worst-ever defeats, 5–0 to Belgium on 7 June 1995. They failed to qualify for Euro '96, finishing fourth in the group with seven points.

Hadžievski, Kanatlarovski and Jovanovski's era (1996–2001)

1998 World Cup qualifiers

Macedonia's first qualifying attempt for the World Cup saw them grouped with Romania, Republic of Ireland, Lithuania, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

The tournament began on 24 April 1996 with a 3–0 win at home against Liechtenstein. On 9 November 1996, Macedonia recorded their biggest ever, an 11–1 thrashing of Liechtenstein. Macedonia defeated the Republic of Ireland 3–2 at home, their first win over a major European team, but failed again to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France, finishing fourth in the group on 13 points.

Euro 2000 qualifiers

Macedonia's journey to qualify for the Euro 2000 tournament in the Netherlands and Belgium saw them grouped with FR Yugoslavia, Republic of Ireland, Croatia, and Malta. They once again opened their qualifying campaign with a win after beating Malta 4–0 at home on 6 September 1998. Their most notable result in the campaign was a 1–1 draw against Croatia in June 1999, with an equalizer of Georgi Hristov 10 minutes before the end of the game. They helped Yugoslavia to qualify directly and eliminate Croatia because they drew 1–1 against the Republic of Ireland with a last-minute equalizer of Goran Stavrevski. However, they failed to qualify again, finishing fourth in the group with eight points.

2002 World Cup qualifiers

Macedonia's 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign saw them grouped with Sweden, Turkey, Slovakia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan. They were unsuccessful in their opening match, going down to Slovakia 2–0 in Bratislava on 3 September 2000. The Macedonians once again failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup as they finished fourth in the group with seven points.

Ups and downs (2001–06)

Euro 2004 qualifiers

The Euro 2004 Qualifiers saw Macedonia grouped alongside England, Turkey, Slovakia, and Liechtenstein. Macedonia played England in Southampton, England's first home game in Southampton in almost 100 years. Macedonia grabbed the lead early in the first half after Artim Šakiri scored directly from a corner kick. England soon leveled the game, before Macedonia led again. The game eventually ended 2–2. Macedonia lost to England 2–1 at home in the return leg, which took place in September 2003. Macedonia's only win of the campaign came on 7 June 2003, when they beat Liechtenstein 3–1 at home.

2006 World Cup qualifiers

Macedonia was drawn in Group 1 and was grouped with the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, Armenia, and Andorra. They managed to open their campaign with a comfortable 3–0 win at home against Armenia on 18 August 2004. Macedonia did not win another home game for more than three years.

On 9 October 2004, Macedonia managed to hold the Netherlands to a surprise 2–2 draw in Skopje in front of a crowd of 17,000 at the Skopje City Stadium, but just four days later, they suffered a 1–0 loss away to Andorra. Macedonia then set a new team record for most goals conceded in a game when they lost 6–1 away to the Czech Republic in June 2005.

Macedonia went on to concede a further eight goals in the next two qualifying games, both against Finland. On 23 August 2005, coach Slobodan Santrač resigned as coach of Macedonia after just five months due to personal problems, with former player Boban Babunski temporarily taking over as coach. The resignation came just days after they were beaten 3–0 by Finland in Skopje. Despite failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, Macedonia was the only team in the group to not lose against the Netherlands.

Iran tournament

Following the completion of the 2006 World Cup qualifying tournament, in November 2005, Macedonia took part in a friendly tournament in Iran consisting of four teams: Macedonia, Iran, Paraguay, and Togo. In their opening match, they won 2–1 against host nation Iran, booking a spot in the final against Paraguay, where they lost 1–0.

Srečko Katanec's era and best FIFA ranking (2006–10)

Euro 2008 qualifiers

On 17 February 2006, former Slovenian national team coach Srečko Katanec was appointed as the head coach and was given a two-year contract.

In the lead-up to the beginning of the qualifiers for Euro 2008, Macedonia managed two wins in friendlies, against Ecuador 2–1 in Madrid, and 1–0 Turkey. Macedonia was placed in Group E for the Euro 2008 qualifiers alongside England, Croatia, Russia, Israel, Estonia, and Andorra.

Macedonia opened its UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a 1–0 win away to Estonia on 16 August 2006. Macedonia hosted England on 6 September in their second game of the qualifiers. England went on to win 1–0; this was the first time that Macedonia failed to score against England.

A month later, on 7 October 2006, the two teams met once again in Manchester, where England was held to a 0–0 draw in front of 72,062 people. On 17 October 2007, Macedonia recorded their first win on home soil since August 2004 when they defeated Andorra 3–0 in Skopje.

Macedonia then recorded one of their most impressive wins to date when they picked up a 2–0 victory over eventual group winners Croatia on 17 November 2007; it was also a first win for Macedonia over a side that was ranked in the top ten of the FIFA World Rankings. Despite this, Macedonia failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after finishing fifth in the group with 14 points.

2010 World Cup qualifiers

On 25 November 2007, just days after Macedonia completed its qualifying campaign for Euro 2008, the groups for European qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup were held in Durban, South Africa, where Macedonia was seeded in Pot 4 and grouped along with the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway and Iceland. Manager Srečko Katanec received a two-year extension on 21 December 2007, which meant he would be under contract through the end of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. In the lead up to the campaign, Macedonia played three friendlies against Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland, which all ended in draws.

Macedonia opened their campaign with a 1–0 home win against Scotland on 6 September 2008 when Ilčo Naumoski scored on a rebound after a missed free kick by Goce Sedloski. Following these impressive results, they moved up 10 places to 46th in the FIFA world rankings for October 2008 which was their highest ever ranking. However, Katanec resigned following a 4–0 loss to the Netherlands in Amsterdam in April 2009, allegedly for getting into an argument with Goran Pandev.

Soon afterwards, the manager of the under-21 team, Mirsad Jonuz, took the helm and remained until the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign. On 12 August 2009, a friendly match against Spain was held at the newly built City Park Stadium in Skopje. The defending European champions won 3–2 after being 2–0 down at halftime. In September, Macedonia lost 2–0 to Scotland and then to Norway.

Fall and resurgence (2010–2018)

Euro 2012 qualifiers

Macedonia was placed in Group B for the Euro 2012 qualifiers alongside Russia, Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Armenia and Andorra. In the lead up to the qualifiers, an under-strength Macedonia side played friendlies against Azerbaijan, Romania, and Malta, winning the first two 3–1 and 1–0 respectively, and tied 1–1 against Malta later the summer.

Macedonia finished in fifth in the group with only two wins against minnows Andorra and two draws, against Armenia and Slovakia, both at home. Manager Mirsad Jonuz was dismissed on 18 June 2011 and replaced by John Toshack.

2014 World Cup qualifiers

Macedonia's 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign saw them grouped with Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland and Wales. In August 2012, prior to the qualifiers, John Toshack resigned and was replaced by Čedomir Janevski. The national team would begin the qualification round with a loss to Croatia in Zagreb and would go on to draw against Scotland in Glasgow. They lost again to Croatia and won against Serbia in Skopje after a penalty kick taken by Agim Ibraimi. Later in qualification, the national team would go on to lose twice to the eventual group winners Belgium.

Macedonia would beat Wales and lose against Scotland at home. Around the end of September 2013, Janevski would leave the team for Belgian club R.A.E.C. Mons and would be replaced by Zoran Stratev for the last two matches. Away losses to Wales and Serbia meant they would finish last in their group.

After the run, Goran Pandev, Nikolče Noveski, Veliče Šumulikoski and others would retire from the national team due to turbulent relations with the Football Federation of Macedonia. In November 2013, Boško Gjurovski would be appointed the new national team manager.

Euro 2016 qualifiers

On 23 February 2014, Macedonia was placed in Group C for the Euro 2016 qualifiers alongside Spain, Ukraine, Slovakia, Belarus and Luxembourg. With 5–1 loss to Spain in Valencia, the only win they collected was against Luxembourg in Skopje.

After that match, Macedonia was brought into a run of a four losses; manager Boško Gjurovski was dismissed on 7 April 2015 and replaced by Ljubinko Drulović. Further losses came against Slovakia and surprisingly Luxembourg. Macedona drew their last match with Belarus in Barysaw, but still finished last in their group.

2018 World Cup qualifiers

On 25 July 2015, in the middle of the Euro 2016 qualifying, the group draws for European qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup were held in Saint Petersburg. Macedonia was seeded in Pot 5 and grouped along with Spain again, for the first time with Italy, along with Albania, Israel and Liechtenstein.

In October 2015, Drulović left the national team to join Serbian club Partizan and the manager place was taken over by the former manager of Rabotnički, Igor Angelovski. That same month, 2010 UEFA Champions League champion Goran Pandev came back to the national team after two years of absence.

Macedonia started with another disappointing performance with a loss to Albania in Shkodër, with a goal scored by Bekim Balaj in the last moments of the game, in a match that was played over two days because of interruption in the 76th minute due to weather. Later on they also lost to Israel at home after missing a penalty kick by Adis Jahović. After that, the national team also lost to Italy beside their 2–1 lead with the goals scored by Ilija Nestorovski and Ferhan Hasani. At the end of 2016, Macedonia was outclassed by Spain in Granada 4–0; Macedonia had not scored a single point, the worst qualifying start in the history of the national team.

Finally, in March 2017, Macedonia recorded their first win in qualifying against Liechtenstein, 3–0. Then they lost to Spain in Skopje 2–1. They also defeated Israel away through the lone goal by Goran Pandev, which was also a first ever win against Israel. Macedonia later tied Albania in Strumica 1–1.

2018–present

2018–19 UEFA Nations League D

In the first edition of the UEFA Nations League, Macedonia played in League D, the lowest division. Macedonia were drawn in Group 4 with Armenia, Liechtenstein and Gibraltar. The national team won the group with five wins and one loss, were promoted to the League C for the next edition of the Nations League, and were assured of a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs place.

Euro 2020 qualifiers

For UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, the newly renamed North Macedonia were placed in Group G, along with Austria, Israel, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia. North Macedonia managed two first impressive results, drawing Slovenia 1–1 away and before that, defeated Latvia 3–1 at home,. However, North Macedonia would soon fall 1–0 to Poland and 4–1 to Austria. Then, the recently renamed country recorded a 1–1 away draw to Israel, and a 2–1 win over Slovenia at home. North Macedonia then lost 2–0 away to Poland, and 2–1 away to Austria, ending up in third place.

However, due to them having successfully taken first place in the UEFA Nations League earlier, North Macedonia was able to reach the country's first ever competitive playoff in history and was scheduled against Kosovo. Eventually, in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs semi-final, North Macedonia overcame Kosovo 2–1 at home. Then they faced Georgia in the final of Path D's play-offs on 13 November in Tbilisi, winning 1–0.

2020–21 UEFA Nations League C

After winning the League D group in the first edition of the UEFA Nations League, North Macedonia were promoted to the third division of the competition, League C. North Macedonia was drawn in Group 2 together with Armenia, Estonia and Georgia.

UEFA Euro 2020

North Macedonia made their Euros debut in 2020, postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All three Group C matches ended up in a loss, to Austria, Ukraine and the Netherlands; Goran Pandev equalized against Austria in the 28th minute and Ezgjan Alioski scored against Ukraine. North Macedonia was the second debutant, after Finland.

2022 World Cup qualifiers

For the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, North Macedonia was drawn in Group J with Germany, Romania, Iceland, Armenia and Liechtenstein. On matchday 3, North Macedonia inflicted a 2–1 defeat on Germany in Duisburg, which was Germany's first World Cup qualification defeat since 2001 and only the third in their history. In the last two games against Armenia and Iceland, North Macedonia won both (5–0 away against Armenia, 3–1 against Iceland) to put them in 2nd in Group J. Qualifying for the play-offs, they defeated reigning European champions Italy in Palermo on 24 March 2022, and faced Portugal in the play-off final on 29 March where they lost 2–0.

2022–23 UEFA Nations League C and Euro 2024 qualification

North Macedonia played in the UEFA Nations League against Georgia, Gibraltar, and Bulgaria. In the end they managed to get the third place. Meanwhile, in the Euro 2024 qualifying, North Macedonia failed to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2024, finishing fourth in their group after England, Italy, Ukraine and above Malta.

Team image

Stadiums

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Number of matches	Stadium	First international	Last international
125	Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje	23 March 1994	17 November 2024
5	Stadion Goce Delčev, Prilep	27 March 1996	15 November 2011
5	Stadion Mladost, Strumica	12 April 1995	17 October 2023
1	Gradski stadion, Tetovo	14 May 1994	14 May 1994
1	Gradski stadion, Kumanovo	29 September 1998	29 September 1998

Kit sponsorship

UEFA Euro 2020 Debut Kit

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

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

Friendly 22 March	Moldova	1–1	Macedonia	Antalya, Turkey
15:30	Damașcan  82'	https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/macedonia-fyr/macedonia-fyr/1439/	Miovski  45+1'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Damian Kos (Poland)

Friendly 25 March	Montenegro	1–0	Macedonia	Antalya, Turkey
18:00	Jovetić  45'	https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040201--montenegro-vs-north-macedonia		Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Zorbay Küçük (Turkey)

Friendly 3 June	Croatia	3–0	Macedonia	Rijeka, Croatia
19:00	Majer  10', 45' Marco Pašalić  79'	https://www.uefa.com/european-qualifiers/friendlies/match/2040257--croatia-vs-north-macedonia/		Stadium: Stadion Rujevica Referee: Matej Jug (Slovenia)

Friendly 10 June	Czech Republic	2–1	Macedonia	Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
18:00	Schick  60' (pen.) Barák  90+8' (pen.)	https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2024/06/10/world/friendlies/czech-republic/macedonia-fyr/4314386/	Alimi  65'	Stadium: Malšovická aréna Referee: Michal Očenáš (Slovakia)

2024–25 Nations League 7 September	Faroe Islands	1–1	Macedonia	Toftir, Faroe Islands
14:00 UTC+1	Davidsen  9' (pen.)	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040059--faroe-islands-vs-north-macedonia/	Bardhi  49' (pen.)	Stadium: Svangaskarð Attendance: 2,057 Referee: Manfredas Lukjančukas (Lithuania)

2024–25 Nations League 10 September	Macedonia	2–0	Armenia	Skopje, North Macedonia
20:45 UTC+2	Bardhi  70' Miovski  78'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040090--north-macedonia-vs-armenia/		Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena Attendance: 6,829 Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)

2024–25 Nations League 10 October	Latvia	0–3	Macedonia	Riga, Latvia
19:00 UTC+3		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040099--latvia-vs-north-macedonia/	Atanasov  35' Qamili  70' Elmas  90+3'	Stadium: Skonto Stadium Attendance: 5,001 Referee: Jakob Sundberg (Denmark)

2024–25 Nations League 13 October	Armenia	0–2	Macedonia	Yerevan, Armenia
20:00 UTC+4		https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040123/	Miovski  72' Alimi  85'	Stadium: Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium Attendance: 14,371 Referee: Stuart Attwell (England)

2024–25 Nations League 14 November	Macedonia	1–0	Latvia	Skopje, North Macedonia
20:45 UTC+1	Serafimov  57'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040153/		Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena Attendance: 8,851 Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (Georgia)

2024–25 Nations League 17 November	Macedonia	1–0	Faroe Islands	Skopje, North Macedonia
15:00 UTC+1	Miovski  62'	https://www.uefa.com/uefanationsleague/match/2040172/		Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena Attendance: 7,450 Referee: Daniel Schlager (Germany)

Coaching history

Updated on 17 November 2024

Name	First game	Last game	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Achievements
Doncevski, AndonAndon Dončevski	13 October 1993	15 November 1995	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	+0	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.41000029.41
Hadzievski, GjokoGjoko Hadžievski	27 March 1996	9 June 1999	&&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037	+5	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.71000035.71
Kanatlarovski, DragiDragi Kanatlarovski	5 September 1999	13 February 2005	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&032.&&&&&032	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&&&&&037	−5	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.81000025.81
Jovanovski, GjoreGjore Jovanovski	2 June 2001	10 January 2002	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	−18	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Ilievski, NikolaNikola Ilievski	27 March 2002	11 June 2003	&&&&&&&&&&&&&013.&&&&&013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	&&&&&&&&&&&&&024.&&&&&024	−1	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&8000023.08
Santrac, SlobodanSlobodan Santrač	30 March 2005	17 August 2005	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	−8	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00
Babunski, BobanBoban Babunski (caretaker)	7 September 2005	10 August 2011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	−2	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.&&&&&050.00
Katanec, SreckoSrečko Katanec	1 March 2006	1 April 2009	&&&&&&&&&&&&&027.&&&&&027	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&028.&&&&&028	&&&&&&&&&&&&&029.&&&&&029	−1	&&&&&&&&&&&&&033.33000033.33
Jonuz, MirsadMirsad Jonuz	6 June 2009	4 June 2011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&021.&&&&&021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	+2	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.&&&&&035.00
Kostov, VlatkoVlatko Kostov (caretaker)	7 September 2010	7 September 2010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	+0	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Toshack, JohnJohn Toshack	2 September 2011	29 May 2012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	−4	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.50000012.50
Sedloski, GoceGoce Sedloski (caretaker)	15 August 2012	15 August 2012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	+1	&&&&&&&&&&&&0100.&&&&&0100.000
Janevski, CedomirČedomir Janevski	7 September 2012	10 September 2013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&014.&&&&&014	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&015.&&&&&015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&019.&&&&&019	−4	&&&&&&&&&&&&&035.71000035.71
Stratev, ZoranZoran Stratev (caretaker)	11 October 2013	15 October 2013	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	−5	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Gjurovski, BoskoBoško Gjurovski	5 March 2014	30 March 2015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	−5	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.18000018.18
Drulovic, LjubinkoLjubinko Drulović	14 June 2015	12 October 2015	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06	−5	&0&&&&&&&&&&&&&&00.&&&&&00.00
Angelovski, IgorIgor Angelovski	12 November 2015	21 June 2021	&&&&&&&&&&&&&052.&&&&&052	&&&&&&&&&&&&&023.&&&&&023	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&018.&&&&&018	&&&&&&&&&&&&&083.&&&&&083	&&&&&&&&&&&&&062.&&&&&062	+21	&&&&&&&&&&&&&044.23000044.23	UEFA Euro 2020 group stage
Milevski, BlagojaBlagoja Milevski	2 September 2021		&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.&&&&&031	&&&&&&&&&&&&&012.&&&&&012	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&011.&&&&&011	&&&&&&&&&&&&&042.&&&&&042	&&&&&&&&&&&&&036.&&&&&036	+6	&&&&&&&&&&&&&038.71000038.71
Total			&&&&&&&&&&&&0279.&&&&&0279	&&&&&&&&&&&&&089.&&&&&089	&&&&&&&&&&&&&071.&&&&&071	&&&&&&&&&&&&0119.&&&&&0119	&&&&&&&&&&&&0337.&&&&&0337	&&&&&&&&&&&&0363.&&&&&0363	−26	&&&&&&&&&&&&&031.90000031.90	—

Players

Current squad

• The following players were called up for the Nations League C matches against Latvia and against Faroe Islands on 14 and 17 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 30)	76	0	Valencia
22	1GK	Damjan Shishkovski	(1995-03-18) 18 March 1995 (age 29)	11	0	Borac
12	1GK	Igor Aleksovski	(1995-02-24) 24 February 1995 (age 29)	1	0	Rabotnichki
	1GK	Marko Alchevski	(2002-04-16) 16 April 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Hapoel Jerusalem
8	2DF	Ezgjan Alioski	(1992-02-12) 12 February 1992 (age 32)	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 32)	35	0	Şanlıurfaspor
5	2DF	Gjoko Zajkov	(1995-02-10) 10 February 1995 (age 29)	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 23)	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 21)	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 30)	18	0	Dundee United
16	3MF	Isnik Alimi	(1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 30)	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 21)	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 26)	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 26)	9	1	Sønderjyske
6	4FW	Dimitar Mitrovski	(1999-01-28) 28 January 1999 (age 25)	6	0	Varaždin

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 12 months and are still available for selection.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Dejan Iliev INJ	(1995-02-25) 25 February 1995 (age 29)	1	0	UTA	v.  Czech Republic, 10 June 2024
DF	Ahmed Iljazovski	(1997-07-31) 31 July 1997 (age 27)	5	0	Hvidovre	v.  Armenia, 13 October 2024
DF	Todor Todoroski	(1999-02-26) 26 February 1999 (age 25)	6	0	Politehnica Iași	v.  Czech Republic, 10 June 2024
MF	Tihomir Kostadinov INJ	(1996-03-04) 4 March 1996 (age 28)	27	0	Piast	v.  Armenia, 13 October 2024
MF	Agon Elezi	(2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 23)	10	0	VfL Bochum	v.  Armenia, 10 September 2024
MF	Davor Zdravkovski	(1998-03-29) 29 March 1998 (age 26)	0	0	Motherwell	v.  Czech Republic, 10 June 2024
FW	Kristijan Trapanovski INJ	(1999-08-14) 14 August 1999 (age 25)	1	0	Dundee United	v.  Latvia, 14 November 2024 WD
FW	Mario Ilievski	(2002-04-24) 24 April 2002 (age 22)	1	0	CSKA 1948	v.  Armenia, 13 October 2024
FW	Erdon Daci	(1998-07-04) 4 July 1998 (age 26)	1	1	Deinze	v.  Moldova, 22 March 2024 WD
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury PRE = Preliminary squad / standby RET = Retired from the national team SUS = Serving suspension U21 = Player called up to the U21 squad. WD = Player withdrew from the squad.

Statistics

Players in bold are still active with Macedonia.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Goran Pandev	122	38	2001–2021
2	Goce Sedloski	100	8	1996–2010
3	Aleksandar Trajkovski	91	21	2011–present
4	Veliche Shumulikoski	84	1	2002–2013
5	Stefan Ristovski	82	2	2011–present
6	Ezgjan Alioski	81	12	2013–present
7	Stole Dimitrievski	76	0	2015–present
8	Artim Shakiri	73	15	1996–2006
9	Enis Bardhi	70	18	2015–present
	Igor Mitreski		1	2001–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Goran Pandev	38	122	0.31	2001–2021
2	Aleksandar Trajkovski	21	91	0.23	2011–present
3	Enis Bardhi	18	70	0.26	2015–present
4	Georgi Hristov	16	48	0.33	1995–2005
5	Artim Shakiri	15	73	0.21	1996–2006
6	Elif Elmas	13	65	0.2	2017–present
7	Ezgjan Alioski	12	81	0.15	2013–present
8	Goran Maznov	10	45	0.22	2001–2009
	Ilija Nestorovski		52	0.19	2016–2023
10	Ilcho Naumoski	9	46	0.2	2003–2012

Captains

This is a list of Macedonian captains for five or more official and friendly matches.

Player	Period	Games as captain (Total caps)	Major tournaments as captain (Games)
Darko Pančev	1993–1995	6 (6)
Toni Micevski	1996–2001	12 (44)
Artim Šakiri	2002–2005	10 (72)
Goce Sedloski	2004–2009	43 (100)
Veliče Šumulikoski	2009–2012	11 (84)
Goran Pandev	2010–2013	22 (75)
Tome Pachovski	2014–2015	10 (46)
Goran Pandev	2016–2021	69 (122)	UEFA Euro 2020 (3)
Stefan Ristovski	2019–2023	16 (82)
Enis Bardhi	2021–	20 (70)

Note: Some of the other players to have captained the team include: Dragi Kanatlarovski (1 cap; 1993), Ilija Najdoski (3; 1994), Dančo Celeski (2; 1995), Ljupčo Markovski (4; 1995 to 1997), Mitko Stojkovski (2; 1998), Boban Babunski (2; 1996 and 1999), Georgi Hristov (2; 2002 to 2003), Petar Miloševski (2; 2004 and 2008), Ilcho Naumoski (1; 2008), Igor Mitreski (4; 2007 to 2010), Aleksandar Lazevski (1; 2010), Nikolče Noveski (4; 2011 to 2013), Daniel Mojsov (1; 2012), Boban Grncharov (3; 2012 to 2014), Blazhe Ilijoski (1; 2014), Blagoja Todorovski (1; 2014), Vanche Shikov (4; 2015), Ivan Trichkovski (4; 2018 to 2020), Ilija Nestorovski (1; 2019), Darko Velkovski (1; 2022), Elif Elmas (1; 2023) and Stole Dimitrievski (2; 2024).

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Position
1930 to 1990	1930,1950,1954,1958,1962,1974,1982,1990 Within  Yugoslavia team									Within  Yugoslavia team
1994	Couldn't participate									Couldn't participate
1998	Did not qualify									10	4	1	5	22	18	4/6
2002										10	1	4	5	11	18	4/6
2006										12	2	3	7	11	24	5/7
2010										8	2	1	5	5	11	4/5
2014										10	2	1	7	7	16	6/6
2018										10	3	2	5	15	15	5/6
2022										12	6	3	3	24	13	2/6 (play-offs)
2026	To be determined									To be determined
2030
2034
Total		0/7	–	–	–	–	–	–		72	20	15	37	95	115	—

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Position
1960 to 1992	1960,1968,1972,1976,1984,1992 banned Within  Yugoslavia team									Within  Yugoslavia team
1996	Did not qualify									10	1	4	5	9	18	4/6
2000										8	2	2	4	13	14	4/5
2004										8	1	3	4	11	14	4/5
2008										12	4	2	6	12	12	5/7
2012										10	2	2	6	8	14	5/6
2016										10	1	1	8	6	18	6/6
2020	Group stage	23rd	3	0	0	3	2	8		12	6	2	4	15	14	3/6 (PO winners)
2024	Did not qualify									8	2	2	4	10	20	4/5
2028	To be determined
2032
Total	Group stage	1/8	3	0	0	3	2	8		78	19	18	41	84	123	—

Olympic Record

• Within Yugoslavia Team

1920 Round 1, 1924 Preliminary, 1928 Preliminary, 1948 (2nd), 1952 (2nd), 1956 (2nd), 1960 Champion, 1964 1/4 finals, 1980 (4th), 1984 (3rd), 1988 group

• Since 1996 under 21 team plays at Olympics
• 1996 did not enter
• 2000–2024 did not qualify

UEFA Nations League

UEFA Nations League record
Season	Division	Group	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	P/R	RK
2018–19	D	4	6	5	0	1	14	5	+9		41st
2020–21	C	2	6	2	3	1	9	8	+1		40th
2022–23	C	4	6	2	1	3	7	7	0		42nd
2024–25	C	4	6	5	1	0	10	1	+9		35th
Total			24	14	5	5	40	21	+19	35th

Minor tournaments

• Yugoslav Football Tournament
  • 5th place: 1945

Team Macedonia

Rustenov, Bogojevski, Vidovik, Martinovski, Petrovski, Davidovski, Janevski, Adamovski, Atanaskov, Balevski, Gerov. Manager: Illes Spitz

• Yugoslav tournament 1975 Brotherhood and Unity
  • 2 nd place

Team Macedonia

Sharenac,Grncharov,Srebrov,Andreevski,Krstanov,Filipovski,Dimitrovski,Rajchevski,Nikolikj,Spasovski,Draganikj,Paunovski Manager: Chaslav Bozhinovski

Head-to-head record

, after the match against Faroe Islands.

Macedonia all-time head-to-head record
Against	Region	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	First match	Last match
Albania	UEFA	10	4	4	2	12	7	+5	40%	14 May 1994	5 September 2017
Andorra	UEFA	6	4	1	1	9	1	+8	66.67%	13 October 2004	6 September 2011
Angola	CAF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%	29 May 2012
Armenia	UEFA	15	8	3	4	27	18	+9	53.33%	10 May 1995	13 October 2024
Australia	AFC	2	0	1	1	0	1	−1	0%	12 March 1997	30 March 2015
Austria	UEFA	3	0	0	3	3	9	−6	0%	10 June 2019	13 June 2021
Azerbaijan	UEFA	8	5	2	1	15	8	+7	62.5%	26 July 2000	20 November 2022
Bahrain	AFC	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%	7 January 2001
Belarus	UEFA	3	1	1	1	4	2	+2	33.33%	27 March 2015	28 March 2017
Belgium	UEFA	4	0	1	3	1	9	−8	0%	16 November 1994	26 March 2013
Bosnia and Herzegovina	UEFA	5	1	3	1	8	8	0	20%	3 June 1998	26 March 2008
Bulgaria	UEFA	9	2	2	5	4	9	−5	22.22%	12 April 1995	26 September 2022
Cameroon	CAF	2	0	0	2	0	3	−3	0%	9 February 2011	26 May 2014
Canada	CONCACAF	2	1	0	1	3	1	+2	50%	18 May 1998	14 November 2009
China	AFC	5	0	2	3	0	4	−4	0%	27 January 2004	22 June 2014
Croatia	UEFA	9	1	2	6	9	15	−6	11.11%	14 October 1998	3 June 2024
Cyprus	UEFA	2	1	1	0	4	1	+3	50%	17 December 1994	11 October 1995
Czech Republic	UEFA	4	0	1	3	3	11	−8	0%	28 February 2001	10 June 2024
Denmark	UEFA	3	1	1	1	4	2	+2	33.33%	7 September 1994	6 February 2013
Ecuador	CONMEBOL	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%	28 May 2006
Egypt	CAF	1	0	1	0	2	2	0	0%	29 September 1998
England	UEFA	6	0	3	3	4	13	-9	0%	16 October 2002	20 November 2023
Estonia	UEFA	6	4	2	0	13	7	+6	66.67%	1 June 1994	15 November 2020
Faroe Islands	UEFA	3	2	1	0	3	1	+2	66.67%	27 March 2023	17 November 2024
Finland	UEFA	6	1	2	3	3	12	−9	16.67%	10 January 2002	17 November 2022
Yugoslavia	UEFA	3	0	0	3	4	9	–5	0%	5 September 1999	23 February 2000
Georgia	UEFA	5	1	2	2	3	7	–4	20%	8 September 2020	23 September 2022
Germany	UEFA	2	1	0	1	2	5	−3	50%	31 March 2021	11 October 2021
Gibraltar	UEFA	4	4	0	0	12	0	+12	100%	6 September 2018	12 June 2022
Hungary	UEFA	2	0	1	1	0	5	−5	0%	22 April 1998	14 November 2001
Iceland	UEFA	6	3	2	1	9	5	+4	50%	1 June 1996	14 November 2021
Iran	AFC	3	0	1	2	3	7	−4	0%	9 June 2000	2 June 2016
Israel	UEFA	7	2	1	4	7	9	−2	28.57%	20 November 2002	6 September 2019
Italy	UEFA	5	1	2	2	7	10	−3	20%	9 October 2016	17 November 2023
Jamaica	CONCACAF	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%	20 April 1998
Kazakhstan	UEFA	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	100%	4 June 2021
Kosovo	UEFA	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100%	8 October 2020
Latvia	UEFA	5	5	0	0	11	2	+9	100%	5 March 2014	14 November 2024
Lebanon	AFC	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	0%	17 November 2015
Liechtenstein	UEFA	11	10	1	0	42	5	+37	90.91%	24 April 1996	8 October 2021
Lithuania	UEFA	3	1	0	2	2	4	−2	33.33%	6 September 1997	15 August 2012
Luxembourg	UEFA	4	2	0	2	8	6	+2	50%	20 August 2008	5 September 2015
Malta	UEFA	8	7	1	0	19	3	+16	87.5%	27 March 1996	12 September 2023
Moldova	UEFA	4	0	4	0	4	4	0	0%	11 October 2000	22 March 2024
Montenegro	UEFA	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2	50%	19 November 2008	25 March 2024
Netherlands	UEFA	5	0	2	3	3	11	−8	0%	9 October 2004	21 June 2021
Nigeria	CAF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%	22 August 2007
Norway	UEFA	4	1	1	2	3	4	−1	25%	6 June 2009	11 November 2017
Oman	AFC	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	0%	30 December 2001
Poland	UEFA	5	0	1	4	2	11	−9	0%	14 February 2003	13 October 2019
Portugal	UEFA	3	0	1	2	0	3	−3	0%	2 April 2003	29 March 2022
Qatar	AFC	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	33.33%	25 July 2001	30 May 2014
Republic of Ireland	UEFA	6	1	1	4	5	11	−6	16.67%	9 October 1996	4 June 2011
Romania	UEFA	7	1	1	5	7	14	−7	14.29%	14 December 1996	8 September 2021
Russia	UEFA	4	0	0	4	0	7	−7	0%	15 November 2006	2 September 2011
Saudi Arabia	AFC	2	0	1	1	1	2	−1	0%	1 August 2001	22 October 2022
Scotland	UEFA	4	1	1	2	3	5	−2	25%	6 September 2008	10 September 2013
Serbia	UEFA	3	1	1	1	3	6	−3	33.33%	6 February 2008	15 October 2013
Slovakia	UEFA	8	0	2	6	3	16	−13	0%	3 September 2000	14 June 2015
Slovenia	UEFA	7	4	2	1	13	7	+6	57.14%	13 October 1993	1 June 2021
South Korea	AFC	2	0	1	1	3	4	−1	0%	18 April 1998	7 June 2000
Spain	UEFA	7	0	0	7	4	20	−16	0%	12 October 1994	11 June 2017
Sweden	UEFA	3	0	0	3	1	4	−3	0%	24 March 2001	3 June 2013
Turkey	UEFA	8	1	2	5	9	14	−5	12.5%	31 August 1994	5 June 2017
Ukraine	UEFA	7	1	1	5	4	10	−6	25%	11 October 2003	16 October 2023
United States	CONCACAF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%	16 May 1998
Wales	UEFA	2	1	0	1	2	2	0	50%	6 September 2013	11 October 2013
Total	67 nations	290	92	72	126	350	390	−40	31.72%

FIFA ranking history

FIFA-ranking yearly averages for North Macedonia. The country reached 46th in October 2008, and 166th in March 2017. As of 25 March 2022, they sit in 66th.

1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
x	90	94	86	92	59	68	76	89	85	92
2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
92	87	54	58	56	65	76	103	81	83	100
2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
136	162	76	68	68	65	67	65	65

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