North Macedonia vs Wales

North Macedonia faces Wales at the Skopje Stadium on Tuesday for their initial World Cup 2026 qualifying group stage battle.

The hosts defeated small Liechtenstein in their first match but Wales defeated Kazakhstan in that same round.

Wales kicked off their World Cup qualification with success as they pursued their second FIFA finals attendance yet Matondo's late substitute scored sealed the stressful moment of the match.

The hosts scored first in the ninth minute through Daniel James at Cardiff City Stadium until Kazakhstani players equalized by converting a penalty kick that Connor Roberts had handled and Karl Darlow failed to stop.

The Dragons secured victory when Matondo scored his first international goal in stoppage time making the points final after Captain Ben Davies headed home to give his team their second goal soon after halftime.

Wales under the leadership of Craig Bellamy remain undefeated in seven matches as the new head coach of the national team with promotion in the UEFA Nations League secured under his watch in the late part of last year.

The group success allowed Cymru to automatically qualify for World Cup playoffs with an expanded entry for the upcoming tournament.

For automatic qualification to the 2026 finals Wales must win against Belgium and North Macedonia while they have little chance of advancing due to the low world rankings of Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein.

The boys under Bellamy understand that Skopje awaits them on Tuesday for a vital moment in their expedition regardless of their limited experience.

There had only been two matches between both countries before to their match at Tose Proeski Arena, with one home victory each on the road to Brazil in 2014.

After missing out in the playoffs the last time, North Macedonia is still aiming for their first World Cup berth as an independent nation more than ten years later.

With a 3-0 triumph against Group J minnows Liechtenstein on Saturday, Blagoja Milevski's team began their most recent campaign with a sixth straight victory.

After Aleksandar Trajkovski put them ahead on seven minutes, they were in complete control and carried on in a similar manner that made 2024 such a great conclusion.

Five straight wins - each without conceding - saw the Lynxes automatically promoted to the Nations League's second division with one game to spare, signifying their ready to engage in World Cup qualification.

Back-to-back home games against Wales and Belgium might be key as Milevski's team looks to make history by becoming their nation's first representatives on the international scene between now and November.