North Macedonia national football team

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

North Macedonia
Nicknames
  • Рисови
    Risovi (Lynxes)
  • Лавови
    Lavovi (Lions)
AssociationFootball Federation of Macedonia (FFM)
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachGoce Sedloski
CaptainEnis Bardhi
Most capsGoran Pandev (122)
Top scorerGoran Pandev (38)
Home stadiumNational Arena Todor Proeski
FIFA codeMKD
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 66 1 (22 December 2025)
Highest46 (October 2008)
Lowest166 (March 2017)
First international
Unofficial
Vojvodina 3–1 Macedonia
(Belgrade, Yugoslavia; 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
Appearances1 (first in 2020)
Best resultGroup stage (2020)
Websiteffm.mk

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

Early years (1991–96)

The first match after the independence was a non official show match, actually a general rehearsal of the head coach Ivica Osim before the decisive match of Yugoslavia in Vienna, against Austria, for the placement of the European Championship 1992.The menager Gjoko Hadžievski prepared the team for this event.The match was held in Skopje City Park stadium on 9 October 1991 Macedonia – Yugoslavia 1-4 . The second match was also non official show match, to test more domestic players for the national team for Gjoko Hadžievski.The match was held again at Skopje City Park stadium on 11 June 1992, Macedonia Vs Macedonian Selection of journalists 2:3 .The third match was also a test match for more domestic players for the national team .The match this time was held in Kavadarci at the City Park Kavadarci stadium Macedonia Vs Macedonian selection of Journalists 7 October 1992. The national team lead by Gjoko Hadžievski won this time against the Selection of journalists. The rematch Macedonia Vs Macedonian Selection of journalists finished 3- 2 . This match showed that the national team was getting stronger and with better performance more ready for the upcoming international matches.The fourth match was also a test match for more domestic players for the national team. The match was held again at Skopje City Park stadium on 16th of June 1993. The score was Macedonia Vs Macedonian Selection of journalists 2:0 .This time the selector Gjoko Hadžievski made the best choice of players for the first team.This team was ready for its first official international match

First official international match

Babunski
Jovanovski
Grozdanov
Najdoski
Markovski
Janevski
Kanatlarovski
T. Micevski
Boškovski
Pančev
The squad on the first official international match against Slovenia on 13 October 1993

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

Euro 1996 qualifiers

The UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying 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. Later, Macedonia suffered one of its worst ever defeats, 5–0 against Belgium on 7 June 1995. They failed to qualify for UEFA Euro 1996, finishing fourth in the group with seven points.

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

1998 FIFA World Cup qualification

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 victory against Liechtenstein. Macedonia defeated the Republic of Ireland 3–2 at home, their first victory against a major European team, but failed again to qualify for the 1998 World Cup in France, finishing fourth in the group on 13 points.

UEFA Euro 2000 qualification

Macedonia's journey to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2000 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 victory 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 ten minutes before the end of the game. They helped Yugoslavia 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 FIFA World Cup qualification

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.

Rise and fall (2001–06)

UEFA Euro 2004 qualification

The Euro 2004 Qualifiers saw Macedonia grouped alongside England, Turkey, Slovakia, and Liechtenstein. Macedonia played England in Southampton, England's first home match 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 FIFA World Cup qualification

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.

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

Euro 2008 qualifiers

Macedonia opened its UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a 1–0 away victory against 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, the first time that Macedonia failed to score against the country.

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 victory for Macedonia against a nation 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 UEFA World Cup qualification

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.

On 6 September 2008, Macedonia opened their campaign with a 1–0 home win against Scotland when Ilčo Naumoski scored on a rebound after a missed free kick by Goce Sedloski. Following these impressive results, they moved up ten places to 46th in the FIFA world rankings for October 2008, 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, was appointed senior coach 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 against Scotland and 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 fifth in the group with only two victories against Andorra as well as two home draws, against Armenia and Slovakia. Coach Mirsad Jonuz was dismissed on 18 June 2011 and replaced by John Toshack.

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

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.

Ironically, a significant number of players originally from Macedonia appeared at the 2014 World Cup, including Blerim Džemaili, Admir Mehmedi and Shkodran Mustafi who couldn't be convinced to represent Macedonia instead.

UEFA Euro 2016 qualification

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 against Spain in Valencia, the only victory they earned was against Luxembourg in Skopje.

After four losses, coach Boško Gjurovski was dismissed on 7 April 2015 and replaced by Ljubinko Drulović. Further losses came against Slovakia and surprisingly Luxembourg. Macedonia 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, Macedonia was seeded in Pot 5. They were put in the same group as Spain again, for the first time with Italy, along with Albania , Israel, and Liechtenstein.

In October 2015, Drulović left the national team. 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 loss against 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 beaten by Spain in Granada 4–0; Macedonia had not scored a single point, the worst qualifying start in the history of the national team.

In March 2017, Macedonia recorded their first 3–0 qualification victory against Liechtenstein. They later lost against Spain in Skopje 2–1. Macedonia also defeated Israel away through the sole goal by Goran Pandev, which was also a first ever victory against Israel. Macedonia later tied Albania in Strumica 1–1.

2018–present

2018–19 UEFA Nations League D

In the inaugural 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 the 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 with a 1–1 away draw against Slovenia. Prior to the match, Macedonia defeated Latvia 3–1 at home,. However, North Macedonia would soon fall 1–0 to Poland and 4–1 to Austria. Later, the North Macedonia recorded a 1–1 away draw against Israel, and a 2–1 home victory against Slovenia. North Macedonia lost 2–0 away against Poland, and 2–1 away against Austria, ending up in third place.

However, due to them having successfully taken first place in the UEFA Nations League earlier, North Macedonia eventually reached its 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

Velkovski
Ristovski
Musliu
Nikolov
Alioski
Ademi
Bardhi
Elmas
Pandev
Trajkovski
The starting lineup against Austria in group C at the 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 – eventually finishing third place. Meanwhile, in the UEFA 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

Number of
matches
Stadium First international Last international
130 Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje 23 March 1994 13 November 2025
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

2025

Liechtenstein  v  North Macedonia
22 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Liechtenstein  0–3  North Macedonia Vaduz, Liechtenstein
15:00 UTC+1 Report
  • Trajkovski 7'
  • Musliu 42'
  • Miovski 84'
Stadium: Rheinpark Stadion
Attendance: 4,094
Referee: Mykola Balakin (Ukraine)
North Macedonia  v  Wales
25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification North Macedonia  1–1  Wales Skopje, North Macedonia
20:45 UTC+1
  • Miovski 90+1'
Report
  • Brooks 90+6'
Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Attendance: 23,114
Referee: Jérôme Brisard (France)
North Macedonia  v  Belgium
6 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification North Macedonia  1–1  Belgium Skopje, North Macedonia
20:45 UTC+2
  • Alioski 86'
Report
  • De Cuyper 28'
Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Attendance: 23,070
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (England)
Kazakhstan  v  North Macedonia
9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Kazakhstan  0–1  North Macedonia Astana, Kazakhstan
19:00 UTC+5 Report
  • Trajkovski 33'
Stadium: Astana Arena
Attendance: 27,694
Referee: Filip Glova (Slovakia)
Saudi Arabia  v  North Macedonia
4 September Friendly Saudi Arabia  2–1  North Macedonia Prague, Czech Republic
17:00 UTC+2
  • Al-Buraikan 45'
  • Al-Hamdan 78'
Report
  • Trajkovski 41'
Stadium: FK Viktoria Stadion
Attendance: 500
Referee: Dominik Starý (Czech Republic)
North Macedonia  v  Liechtenstein
7 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification North Macedonia  5–0  Liechtenstein Skopje, North Macedonia
18:00 UTC+2
  • Büchel 15' (o.g.)
  • Bardhi 52'
  • Churlinov 56'
  • Qamili 82'
  • Stankovski 90'
Report Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Attendance: 8,693
Referee: Horațiu Feșnic (Romania)
Belgium  v  North Macedonia
10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Belgium  0–0  North Macedonia Ghent, Belgium
20:45 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Planet Group Arena
Attendance: 18,583
Referee: Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
North Macedonia  v  Kazakhstan
13 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification North Macedonia  1–1  Kazakhstan Skopje, North Macedonia
20:45 UTC+2
  • Bardhi 74'
Report
  • Karaman 54'
Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Attendance: 19,929
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera (Spain)
North Macedonia  v  Latvia
13 November Friendly North Macedonia  0–0  Latvia Skopje, North Macedonia
18:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Toše Proeski Arena
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Miloš Savović (Montenegro)
Wales  v  North Macedonia
18 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Wales  7–1  North Macedonia Cardiff, Wales
19:45 UTC+0
  • Wilson 18' (pen.), 75', 81' (pen.)
  • Brooks 21'
  • Johnson 37'
  • James 57'
  • Broadhead 88'
Report
  • Miovski 23'
Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Attendance: 32,154
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)

2026

Denmark  v  North Macedonia
26 March 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs Denmark  v  North Macedonia Copenhagen, Denmark
20:45 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Parken Stadium
Czech Republic  or Republic of Ireland  v  North Macedonia
31 March 2026 World Cup qualification play-offs
or Friendly
Czech Republic  or Republic of Ireland  v  North Macedonia Prague, Czech Republic or Dublin, Ireland
20:45 UTC+2 or 19:45 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Stadion Letná or Aviva Stadium

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Goce Sedloski
Assistant coaches Vlatko Grozdanoski
Robert Stojanovski
Goalkeeper coach Gogo Jovčev
Physical coach Vladimir Vuksanovikj
Video analyst Goran Stanić
Team doctor Nebojsha Nastov
Physiotherapists Makedonka Siljanoska
Masseur Mohammed Trapanovski
Kit manager Behar Dimoski
Team manager Zoran Zafirov
Sporting director Goran Pandev
Technical director Zoran Stratev

Coaching history

Updated on 9 December 2025

Name First game Last game P W D L GF GA GD Win % Achievements
Gjoko Hadžievski 9 October 1991 16 June 1993 4 2 0 2 6 9 −3 050.00
Andon Dončevski 13 October 1993 15 November 1995 17 5 5 7 23 23 +0 029.41
Gjoko Hadžievski 27 March 1996 9 June 1999 28 10 7 11 42 37 +5 035.71
Dragi Kanatlarovski 5 September 1999 13 February 2005 31 8 8 15 32 37 −5 025.81
Gjore Jovanovski 2 June 2001 10 January 2002 13 0 6 7 9 27 −18 000.00
Nikola Ilievski 27 March 2002 11 June 2003 13 3 4 6 23 24 −1 023.08
Slobodan Santrač 30 March 2005 17 August 2005 4 1 0 3 4 12 −8 025.00
Boban Babunski (caretaker) 7 September 2005 10 August 2011 4 2 1 1 4 6 −2 050.00
Srečko Katanec 1 March 2006 1 April 2009 27 9 7 11 28 29 −1 033.33
Mirsad Jonuz 6 June 2009 4 June 2011 20 7 4 9 21 19 +2 035.00
Vlatko Kostov (caretaker) 7 September 2010 7 September 2010 1 0 1 0 2 2 +0 000.00
John Toshack 2 September 2011 29 May 2012 8 1 4 3 4 8 −4 012.50
Goce Sedloski (caretaker) 15 August 2012 15 August 2012 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 100.00
Čedomir Janevski 7 September 2012 10 September 2013 14 5 1 8 15 19 −4 035.71
Zoran Stratev (caretaker) 11 October 2013 15 October 2013 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 000.00
Boško Gjurovski 5 March 2014 30 March 2015 11 2 3 6 7 12 −5 018.18
Ljubinko Drulović 14 June 2015 12 October 2015 5 0 1 4 1 6 −5 000.00
Igor Angelovski 12 November 2015 21 June 2021 53 23 11 19 83 65 +18 043.40 UEFA Euro 2020 group stage
Blagoja Milevski 2 September 2021 18 November 2025 48 18 14 16 64 62 +2 037.50
Total 295 95 75 125 341 364 −23 032.20

Players

Current squad

The following 28 players were called up for North Macedonia's friendly and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Latvia and Wales on 13 and 18 November 2025, respectively.
Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2025, after the match against Wales.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Dejan Iliev (1995-02-25) 25 February 1995 (age 30) 1 0 UTA
12 1GK Igor Aleksovski (1995-02-24) 24 February 1995 (age 30) 1 0 Flamurtari
23 1GK Stole Dimitrievski (1993-12-25) 25 December 1993 (age 32) 86 0 Valencia
1GK Damjan Shishkovski (1995-03-18) 18 March 1995 (age 30) 11 0 Borac

2 2DF Bojan Ilievski (1999-09-01) 1 September 1999 (age 26) 10 0 Struga
3 2DF Stefan Ashkovski (1992-02-24) 24 February 1992 (age 33) 40 0 Radnički Niš
4 2DF Nikola Serafimov (1999-08-11) 11 August 1999 (age 26) 26 1 Levski
5 2DF Gjoko Zajkov (1995-02-10) 10 February 1995 (age 30) 42 1 Ajman
6 2DF Andrej Stojchevski (2003-05-26) 26 May 2003 (age 22) 6 0 Slovácko
13 2DF Stefan Despotovski (2003-01-23) 23 January 2003 (age 22) 3 0 Beograd
14 2DF Darko Velkovski (1995-06-21) 21 June 1995 (age 30) 59 3 Zrinjski
2DF Bojan Dimoski (2001-11-23) 23 November 2001 (age 24) 21 0 TSC

7 3MF Eljif Elmas (1999-09-24) 24 September 1999 (age 26) 75 13 Napoli
8 3MF David Babunski (1994-03-01) 1 March 1994 (age 31) 18 0 Vardar
10 3MF Enis Bardhi (captain) (1995-07-02) 2 July 1995 (age 30) 80 20 Konyaspor
16 3MF Isnik Alimi (1994-02-02) 2 February 1994 (age 31) 21 2 Dalian Yingbo
18 3MF Tihomir Kostadinov (1996-03-04) 4 March 1996 (age 29) 35 0 Sigma
21 3MF Jani Atanasov (1999-10-31) 31 October 1999 (age 26) 29 3 AEL
22 3MF Reshat Ramadani (2003-06-30) 30 June 2003 (age 22) 2 0 Shkëndija
3MF Luka Stankovski (2002-09-02) 2 September 2002 (age 23) 2 1 Radnički 1923

9 4FW Aleksandar Trajkovski (1992-09-05) 5 September 1992 (age 33) 98 24 Lokomotiva
11 4FW Darko Churlinov (2000-07-11) 11 July 2000 (age 25) 38 5 Kocaelispor
15 4FW Elmin Rastoder (2001-10-07) 7 October 2001 (age 24) 5 0 Thun
17 4FW Lirim Qamili (1998-06-04) 4 June 1998 (age 27) 13 2 Sønderjyske
19 4FW Milan Ristovski (1998-04-08) 8 April 1998 (age 27) 37 4 Bohemians
20 4FW Bojan Miovski (1999-06-24) 24 June 1999 (age 26) 38 9 Rangers
4FW Kristijan Trapanovski (1999-08-14) 14 August 1999 (age 26) 2 0 Dundee United

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
DF Visar Musliu INJ (1994-11-13) 13 November 1994 (age 31) 70 2 Sint-Truiden v.  Wales, 18 November 2025 WD
DF Ezgjan Alioski INJ (1992-02-12) 12 February 1992 (age 33) 89 13 Lugano v.  Kazakhstan, 13 October 2025
DF Jovan Manev INJ (2001-01-25) 25 January 2001 (age 24) 11 1 Novi Pazar v.  Kazakhstan, 9 June 2025

MF Agon Elezi INJ (2001-03-01) 1 March 2001 (age 24) 12 0 Sarajevo v.  Kazakhstan, 9 June 2025

FW Dimitar Mitrovski (1999-01-28) 28 January 1999 (age 26) 8 0 Olimpija v.  Saudi Arabia, 4 September 2025 WD
FW David Toshevski (2001-07-16) 16 July 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Dender v.  Kazakhstan, 9 June 2025

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

As of 19 November 2025
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 98 24 2011–present
4 Ezgjan Alioski 89 13 2013–present
5 Stole Dimitrievski 86 0 2015–present
6 Veliče Šumulikoski 84 1 2002–2013
7 Stefan Ristovski 82 2 2011–2023
8 Enis Bardhi 80 20 2015–present
9 Eljif Elmas 75 13 2017–present
10 Artim Šakiri 73 15 1996–2006

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Goran Pandev 38 122 0.31 2001–2021
2 Aleksandar Trajkovski 24 98 0.24 2011–present
3 Enis Bardhi 20 80 0.25 2015–present
4 Georgi Hristov 16 48 0.33 1995–2005
5 Artim Šakiri 15 73 0.21 1996–2006
6 Elif Elmas 13 75 0.17 2017–present
Ezgjan Alioski 89 0.15 2013–present
8 Goran Maznov 10 45 0.22 2001–2009
Ilija Nestorovski 52 0.19 2016–2023
10 Bojan Miovski 9 38 0.24 2021–present
Ilčo Naumoski 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– 29 (80)

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), Ilčo 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), Vanče Šikov (4; 2015), Ivan Trichkovski (4; 2018 to 2020), Ilija Nestorovski (1; 2019), Darko Velkovski (1; 2022), Elif Elmas (1; 2023) and Stole Dimitrievski (3; 2024 and 2025).

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup 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 Did not enter Did not enter
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 8 3 4 1 13 10 TBD (play-offs)
2030 To be determined
2034
Total 0/7 80 23 19 38 108 125

UEFA European Championship

UEFA European Championship record UEFA European Championship qualifying 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
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 To be determined
2032
Total Group stage 1/8 3 0 0 3 2 8 78 19 18 41 84 123

Olympic Record

  • 1896-1912 Within Ottoman Empire team
  • 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

  • 1992 : didn’t participate
  • 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
    • 2nd place
Team Macedonia
Sharenac, Grncharov, Srebrov, Andreevski, Krstanov, Filipovski, Dimitrovski, Rajchevski, Nikolikj, Spasovski, Draganikj, Paunovski. Manager: Chaslav Bozhinovski

Head-to-head record

As of 18 November 2025, after the match against Wales.
North 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 6 0 3 3 2 10 −8 0% 16 November 1994 10 October 2025
 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
 FR 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 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 66.67% 4 June 2021 13 October 2025
 Kosovo UEFA 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 100% 8 October 2020
 Latvia UEFA 6 5 1 0 11 2 +9 83.33% 13 November 2025 14 November 2024
 Lebanon AFC 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0% 17 November 2015
 Liechtenstein UEFA 13 12 1 0 50 5 +45 92.31% 24 April 1996 7 September 2025
 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 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 0% 1 August 2001 4 September 2025
 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 4 1 1 2 4 10 –6 25% 18 November 2025 25 March 2025
Total 67 nations 300 95 77 128 364 402 −38 31.67%

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 2024
136 162 76 68 68 65 67 65 65 67

See also

wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about North Macedonia national football team, What is North Macedonia national football team? What does North Macedonia national football team mean?