North Macedonia vs Switzerland Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

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North Macedonia

vs

Switzerland

KickoffSaturday 26 September 2026, 7:45pm

VenueToše Proeski Arena

CompetitionUEFA Nations League

North Macedonia are in a rough place right now. Eight games without a win, a 7-1 hammering by Wales still fresh in the memory, a 4-0 battering from Denmark in the World Cup playoff, and then another 4-0 defeat to Turkey just last time out. The Lions have gone from a side that looked genuinely competitive to one that looks like it has forgotten how to win a football match. Something has to give, and manager Goce Sedloski is still waiting for his first victory in charge. This Saturday at Nacionalna Arena Tose Proeski, he gets another chance, but Switzerland are not the kind of opponents you want when your confidence is shot.

Switzerland are arriving on the back of a World Cup quarter-final exit against Argentina, which on the face of it sounds like a setback. But let us be honest, reaching the last eight of a World Cup is no small thing. Murat Yakin’s side went through qualifying unbeaten, got out of their group, beat Algeria, beat Colombia, and only went out after being reduced to ten men in extra time against one of the best sides on the planet. This is a squad with real momentum and genuine quality throughout. A trip to Skopje against a side this low on confidence? They will fancy this.

North Macedonia vs Switzerland Match Details

This fixture takes place at Nacionalna Arena Tose Proeski in Skopje, with Switzerland visiting for a UEFA Nations League Group stage clash. North Macedonia find themselves in League B after their impressive promotion from League C in the 2024-25 campaign, while Switzerland have dropped down from League A following a difficult Nations League campaign last season. There is a fair bit of pride riding on this one for both sides, even if for very different reasons.

Team News

North Macedonia have a relatively settled squad available, which given their recent results is perhaps not the comfort it might sound. Switzerland are the ones dealing with some significant absences heading into this one.

• Granit Xhaka is unavailable for the entire international break, a huge loss for Switzerland given he is their captain and the engine room of their midfield.
• Denis Zakaria misses out through injury, adding to the Swiss midfield headache.
• Breel Embolo is serving the remainder of his World Cup suspension and will not feature here, leaving Switzerland short up front.
• Winsley Boteli is expected to come in and lead the line in Embolo’s absence.

Predicted Lineups

For North Macedonia, Sedloski looks set to go with a setup that has Bojan Miovski and Elmin Rastoder leading the attack, with Eljiff Elmas operating just behind them in the number ten role. Ezgjan Alioski and Bojan Ilievski should provide the width as wing-backs, with Enis Bardhi and Matej Gastarov anchoring the midfield.

North Macedonia: Dimitrievski; Stojchevski, Zajkov, Musliu; Ilievski, Gastarov, Bardhi, Alioski; Elmas; Miovski, Rastoder

Without Xhaka, Zakaria and Embolo, Yakin has some reshuffling to do, but he still has genuine quality to call upon. Ardon Jashari should step into a more prominent midfield role alongside Remo Freuler and Fabian Rieder, with Dan Ndoye and Johan Manzambi providing the creativity around Boteli up front. Gregor Kobel starts in goal behind a back four of Athekame, Akanji, Elvedi and Rodriguez.

Switzerland: Kobel; Athekame, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez; Freuler, Rieder; Ndoye, Jashari, Manzambi; Boteli

Recent Form

North Macedonia’s form makes for grim reading. Their World Cup qualifying campaign was actually decent on the surface, winning three and drawing four from eight games, but that sole defeat to Wales was catastrophic. A 7-1 scoreline is not just a bad day at the office, it is the sort of result that can mess with a squad’s head for months. And it seems to have done exactly that. Since then, the Lions have drawn 0-0 with Ireland, drawn 0-0 with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then been taken apart 4-0 by Turkey. No goals scored in any of those three fixtures. That is alarming for any side, but particularly one that has Miovski in the squad, a striker who has shown he can hurt teams at this level.

Switzerland’s recent record is a completely different story. An unbeaten World Cup qualifying campaign, topping Group B with four wins and two draws, was just the foundation. They then went to the World Cup and delivered. Two wins and a draw from three group games, then eliminations of Algeria and Colombia in the knockouts before running Argentina close in the quarter-finals. Yes, they lost, but they were in the game until extra time with ten men against Argentina. That is not a collapse, that is a team pushing its limits against elite opposition.

The contrast in momentum between these two sides could not be more stark. North Macedonia are searching for any kind of confidence, while Switzerland are a side that knows how to grind out results and has been doing exactly that at the highest level. Even without Xhaka and Embolo, the Swiss have enough to impose themselves here.

Head-to-Head Record

These two sides have not met frequently, which makes it tricky to lean too heavily on historical patterns. What we can say is that Switzerland are the far superior side on paper and have been for some time. North Macedonia have made huge strides as a footballing nation over the past decade, reaching the last 16 of Euro 2020 and competing respectably in most of their campaigns, but they have rarely been able to match sides with the depth and quality that Switzerland carry. When the Lions have faced opponents of this calibre, they have tended to be competitive at home but vulnerable when their confidence is fragile, and right now their confidence is about as fragile as it gets.

Key Stats

• North Macedonia have failed to score in each of their last three matches, an alarming run for a side that needs to rediscover some attacking intent.
• Switzerland went unbeaten through their entire World Cup qualifying campaign, winning four and drawing two from six fixtures.
• North Macedonia’s only defeat in World Cup qualifying was a 7-1 loss to Wales, which ultimately cost them a playoff place by three points.

North Macedonia vs Switzerland Betting Tips

The angle here is pretty clear. North Macedonia are shot of confidence, cannot buy a goal, and are facing a Swiss side that has been one of the better performing European nations over the past twelve months. Even with the absences, Switzerland have the quality and the structure to win this comfortably. The question is more about the margin and the markets around it than whether Switzerland take the three points.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Given North Macedonia’s inability to score in any of their last three games and Switzerland’s attacking depth, the goals are likely to come at one end. Over 2.5 goals looks a strong call here, with Switzerland having the quality to score multiple times against a side that is low on morale and has conceded four goals twice in recent outings.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Dan Ndoye is the pick here. With Embolo suspended and the striker role going to Boteli, Ndoye’s runs from wide positions and his ability to get into the box make him a genuine threat. He has the energy and the technical quality to cause North Macedonia problems from the first whistle, and backing him as first goalscorer at a decent price makes sense.

Cards Prediction

North Macedonia are a side under pressure, and teams in that situation can get frustrated quickly, particularly when an opponent is as composed and technically assured as Switzerland. Expect a few cynical fouls as the hosts try to disrupt the Swiss rhythm. Over 3.5 cards looks a reasonable bet, with North Macedonia likely to pick up the majority of the bookings as the game slips away from them.

Corners Prediction

Switzerland will carry the play for large portions of this match and tend to work the ball wide and deliver into the box. Against a North Macedonia side likely to sit deep and defend, the Swiss will win plenty of corners as they probe for openings. Over 9.5 corners in the match looks well worth considering, with the vast majority of them coming Switzerland’s way.

Bet Builder Tip

Switzerland winning comfortably, the goals coming in, and Ndoye being involved early all point in the same direction and work together neatly as a combined bet builder.

Final Match Prediction

It is hard to make a case for North Macedonia getting anything here. They have not won in eight, they are not scoring, and they are conceding in bundles against the better sides. Switzerland are the kind of well-organised, technically gifted side that will exploit those weaknesses without breaking a sweat, and even without Xhaka pulling the strings, Yakin has enough in the locker to dominate this fixture.

Switzerland to win 0-3, with the Swiss taking the three points back across Europe and leaving North Macedonia with even more soul-searching to do under Sedloski.

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