North Macedonia vs Wales

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign starts to pick up momentum, North Macedonia and Wales go head-to-head at the National Arena Toshe Proeski.

North Macedonia kicked off their World Cup qualifying (WCQ) campaign in style, cruising past minnows Liechtenstein 3-0 last weekend. That victory extended their streak of competitive wins without conceding to six. However, with the highest-ranked opponent in that run being 100th-placed Armenia, a much more formidable challenge awaits as #29-ranked Wales roll into town for the first H2H since 2013. North Macedonia should take the field in a buoyant mood after losing just two of their last 12 World Cup qualifiers (W7, D3). Furthermore, they’ve been in scintillating form on home soil, with their last loss on this ground dating back to June 2023 (W4, D2). It’s worth noting that just one of their previous eight World Cup qualifiers saw both teams scoring. 

On the other hand, Wales head into this clash on the back of a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, overcoming an unenviable display to beat Kazakhstan 3-1. Despite flattering to deceive, manager Craig Bellamy guided his side to victory, extending his unbeaten start in charge to seven matches (W4, D3). Away form remains a concern, with the Dragons winning only twice in their last 12 road games (D5, L5). However, they’ve been tough to beat in World Cup qualifying action, suffering just one away defeat since 2013 (W4, D5) – against Belgium. Interestingly, that run started immediately after a 2-1 loss to none other than North Macedonia.