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| Football in North Macedonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | North Macedonia |
| Governing body | Football Federation of North Macedonia |
| National team | North Macedonia |
| First played | 1909; 117 years ago (1909) |
| National competitions | |
| Club competitions | |
| International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport inNorth Macedonia.[1][2] The country became a member ofFIFA in 1994.
Thenational team has made a few remarkable results in qualifiers for theEuropean Championship as well as theWorld Cup.
The governing body of football in North Macedonia is theFootball Federation of North Macedonia. It oversees the organization of:
Note: the aforementioned competitions are for men if not stated differently. Women's football exists but is much less developed or popular.
By far the most popular clubs in the country areVardar (Skopje),Rabotnichki (Skopje),Shkëndija (Tetovo),Pelister (Bitola) andPobeda (Prilep).
The beginnings of football in North Macedonia date back to the early 20th century in the thenOttoman Empire, with the first recorded match taking place in Skopje in April 1909. At that place was erected a monument in the form of soccer ball weighing about 250 pounds, because it was the first official soccer match played on the territory of North Macedonia. The monument was erected here in 1979.[3]
After the First World War, the region had become part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929). A match was played inSkopje on April 20, 1919. It was the selection of the English army composed of the best players among the recruits, against Napredok of Skopje, Napredok would win the match by the score of 2-0. Since 1920, the clubs from the current territory of the Republic of North Macedonia had competed in the Yugoslav league system. First they were part of theBelgrade Football Subassociation (1920–1927), and later, in 1927, a separateSkoplje Football Subassociation was formed. The creation of the later made it considerably easier for Macedonian clubs to accessYugoslav First League since the Subassocion leagues functioned as qualifying leagues for the Yugoslav national championship and they avoided the clubs from Belgrade.Gragjanski Skopje became usual participant during the late 1930s in the Yugoslav top tier. By the late 1930s and early 1940s the league system was changed, and Macedonian clubs competed within the Serbian league.
In 1941, as a result of theSecond World War, most ofVardar Macedonia was administered by theKingdom of Bulgaria. The football clubs and leagues were restructured and incorporated into the Bulgarian league system. From 1941 until 1944, the strongest clubs from the region competed in theBulgarian Championship. During that time, the selection of Macedonian clubs played against the selection of the German army, and played matches against Bulgaria. During this period, several players from Vardar Macedonia represented theBulgaria national team.
In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the region was reincorporated into Yugoslavia, andSR Macedonia was established as one of the 6 constituent socialist republics ofSFR Yugoslavia. The best Macedonian clubs usually competed in the Federal leagues,First andSecond Yugoslav leagues, while the Macedonian Republic League was formed to serve as qualifying league for the federal ones. In 1945, after the Second World War, a section of the Association of Sports in Skopje with Gustav Vlahov as president, was created. On 14 August 1949, the Macedonian Football Association was formed and was part of theFootball Association of Yugoslavia until 1991, when North Macedonia declared independence. The first president of theFootball Federation of Macedonia was Ljubisav Ivanov - Dzingo.
In 1991, North Macedonia became an independent sovereign nation as the Republic of Macedonia which would change to the Republic of North Macedonia in 2019. Macedonian clubs abandoned theYugoslav football league system and created their own league system. The first championship in North Macedonia was organized in the season1992/93, in which 18 teams participated. Vardar from Skopje was the first champion without a lost match. They would also win the first everMacedonian Cup. In 1994, North Macedonia became a member ofFIFA andUEFA after the break-up ofSFR Yugoslavia. In 1995, for the first time Macedonian clubs participated in European Cup matches. As champions,FK Vardar played in theUEFA Cup against Hungarian sideBékéscsaba and lost 1–2 on aggregate.FK Sileks played in theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup, eliminatingVác Samsung in the first qualifying round before losing toBorussia Mönchengladbach in the next round.
The national team began its football journey with a 4–1 win againstSlovenia in a friendly on 13 October 1993 under coachAndon Dončevski. They went on to win their next two friendlies against Slovenia and Estonia before suffering their first loss againstTurkey on 31 August 1994 (before this they lost toClub Atlético Peñarol 0–4 inMontevideo in February 1994). The inaugural North Macedonia side featuredDarko Pančev, who won theEuropean Champions League withRed Star Belgrade in 1991 and also played forInternazionale in Italy. TheEuro 96 Qualifiers was the first major qualifying tournament that North Macedonia participated in as an independent nation and they were grouped withSpain,Denmark,Belgium,Cyprus, andArmenia. In their opening game, which was also their first ever official match, North Macedonia was drawn against the reigning European Champions Denmark. The game was played at theCity Stadium in Skopje on 7 September 1994 and it finished 1–1 (the first goal was scored byMitko Stojkovski) with North Macedonia leading for most of the game after scoring in the fourth minute. Since then, North Macedonia has been participating in all FIFA and UEFA sanctioned qualifying tournaments.
In 2016, the national U-21 team qualified for the final tournament of2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after finishing first inqualification group 3 behind France, Iceland, Ukraine, Scotland and Northern Ireland. That was the first time that the any national football team of North Macedonia qualified for a major tournament.[4] In 2017, North Macedonia's capitalSkopje hosted the2017 UEFA Super Cup betweenReal Madrid andManchester United. Also, in that year,Vardar advanced to the group stage of theUEFA Europa League, after winning over two matches againstTurkish giantsFenerbahçe in the play-off round, marking the first time that any Macedonian club qualified for the group stage of any European competition.[5]
Euro 2020 marked the first major tournament that North Macedonia ever qualified for. To qualify, they won theirNation’s League group, League D,[6] which qualified them forplayoff path D. In this playoff, they beatKosovo 2-1 andGeorgia 1-0 to advance to Euro 2020.[7] Their tournament started with a 3-1 loss toAustria, whereGoran Pandev scored the nation’s first ever major tournament goal with a 28th minute equalizer.[8] In their second game they lost 2-1 toUkraine with a goal fromEzgjan Alioski.[9] They finished their tournament with a 3-0 loss to one of the host nations for the 2020 Euros,[10]Netherlands.[11] Despite losing all three of their games, just qualifying for the 2020 Euros is the biggest success in the history of North Macedonian football.[12]
As of the 2024/25 season. Leagues that have not been held in successive seasons have been marked asinactive.
Level | League(s)/Division(s) | ||||
1 | 1. MFL | ||||
2 | 2. MFL | ||||
3 | 3. MFL North 14 clubs | 3. MFL South 11 clubs | 3. MFL East 9 clubs | 3. MFL West 8 clubs | 3. MFL Southwest 9 clubs |
4 | 4. MFL
| 4. MFL South Groups:
| 4. MFL East Groups:
| 4. MFL West Groups:
| 4. MFL Southwest Groups:
|
5 | 5.MFL Only Bitola, Kumanovo and Prilep host 5.MFL Leagues. | ||||
1 Teams from Kratovo and Kriva Palanka usually get grouped together.
Beginning in the 2026-27 season, the1. MFL will be reduced to ten clubs. The league champions qualify for the first qualifying round of theUEFA Champions League, while the runners-up qualify for the first qualifying round of theUEFA Europa League.
Prior to the 2026-27 season, teams in 10th-12th place were relegated to the2. MFL. Clubs finishing in 8th and 9th place competed in a relegation play-off.
Video assistant referee (VAR) technology is planned to be introduced starting in the 2025-26 season.
Match times are provisional and are typically confirmed two to three days before kick-off.[13]
The Men's Second League (2. MFL) is the second tier of men's football. The league champions are directly promoted to the 1. MFL. Clubs placing in 2nd & 3rd compete in a playoff for promotion.
Clubs in 12th-16th are relegated, while clubs 9th-11th are placed in a play-out to avoid relegation.[14]
TheMacedonian Football Cup is the national knockout tournament in North Macedonia. The cup was founded in 1992, slightly after the country's independence. There are 32 teams registered into the tournament. The cup winner qualifies for theUEFA Champions League. The cup runs alongside the league season, with rounds spread throughout it. For example, the33rd season of North Macedonia's Football competition started on Sept. 18, 2024 and ended on May 21, 2025.Vardar currently have the most titles (6).
The Macedonian Football Super Cup was a one-match competition that featured the champions of the 1. MFL and the Macedonian Cup winners. The first Super Cup was held in 2011. It was abolished in 2015 after only being played three times: in 2011, 2013, and 2015.Vardar (Skopje) are the most successful club in the Super Cup winning it twice.
| Level | League(s)/Division(s) | ||||
| 1 | 1. WFL (ZFK Atletiko withdrew from competition in 2025 and was replaced by Vardar) - Skopje 2014 W - Ljuboten W - Tiverija Brera W - Istatov W - As United W - Kamenica Sas W - Rečica W - Vardar W - Top Gol W - Kochani W | ||||
| 2 | 2. WFL - Konzuli W - Poreche W - Biljanini Izvori W - Sloboden W - Plachkovica W - Borec W | ||||
TheWomen's First League (1. WFL) is the top tier of women's football in North Macedonia. The league champion qualifies for theUEFA Women's Champions League. The clubs finishing in 9th and 10th place are relegated to theWomen's Second League (2. WFL).
Match times are provisional and are generally confirmed two or three days prior to kick-off.[15]
The Women's Second League (2. WFL) is the second tier of women's football. The division champion earns promotion to theWomen's First League (1. WFL).
Clubs in both divisions compete in theMacedonian Women's Cup, the women's domestic football tournament.[16]
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
| Season | League average | Best club | Best club average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 756 | Shkëndija | 2,711 |
| 2017-18 | 992 | Shkëndija | 3,572 |
| 2016-17 | 1,407 | Shkëndija | 4,367 |
| 2015-16 | 813 | Shkëndija | 2,312 |
| 2014-15 | 1,011 | Shkëndija | 3,835 |
| 2013-14 | 1,297 | Shkëndija | 5,513 |
| 2012-13 | 1,156 | Shkëndija | 3,471 |
| 2011-12 | 1,387 | Shkëndija | 4,512 |
| 2010-11 | 1,334 | Shkëndija | 6,206 |
Source:[17]
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