At the National Arena Toshe Proeski in Skopje, North Macedonia hosts Wales in a match that could reveal a lot about the true ambitions of both teams to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Despite only being the second matchday, both teams are tied at the top of the group with 3 points, having won their opening games in this long European qualification journey. In both cases, the victories were deserved and clear-cut. North Macedonia won 3-0 against Liechtenstein, while Wales, after drawing 1-1 at halftime against Kazakhstan, took control in the second half, finishing 3-1. Thanks to these two wins, both Milevski's side and Bellamy's side are now contenders to challenge Belgium, with the minimum goal of securing at least second place and aiming for a spot in the 48 teams participating in the 2026 World Cup through playoffs. Ahead of the Red Devils' group debut, both teams know that a win in this direct clash could be crucial, if not decisive, to strengthen their qualification hopes and extinguish the dreams of their opponents.

North Macedonia's Recent Form and Key Statistics

North Macedonia is in fantastic form, having secured their sixth consecutive win with the victory over Liechtenstein. The unbeaten streak for the Macedonians in official matches now spans 8 games, with 6 wins and 2 draws.

North Macedonia comes from a strong campaign in the Nations League, finishing first in Group 4 of League C, earning promotion to League B. At home, they are on a 3-match winning streak, scoring 4 goals and conceding none.

Wales' Recent Form and Key Statistics

Wales is also in great form, remaining unbeaten in their last 13 matches across all competitions. Bellamy's men have also lost only one of their last 8 away games.

The Dragons come from a Nations League campaign where they finished top of their group, surpassing Turkey, Iceland, and Montenegro. One of Wales' key strengths is their defense, as evidenced by only conceding 4 goals in the 6 Nations League matches.

Prediction North Macedonia vs Wales and Tactical Overview

In Skopje, two in-form teams will face off, each trying to secure the three points to start pulling ahead in the standings. The hosts are pinning many of their hopes on Elmas, who has scored 3 goals in the last 5 games for Torino in Serie A, and Girona's striker Bojan Miovski, who netted the decisive 3-0 against Liechtenstein.

On the other hand, Wales' head coach will rely on the creativity of Brennan Johnson, who has scored 14 goals this season with Tottenham Hotspur, and Daniel James, who has had an excellent season with Leeds United, contributing 10 goals and 9 assists.

Although both teams are in good form, Wales seems to have the upper hand, especially offensively, and looks likely to take all three points. This impression is also confirmed by the BetMines prediction algorithm for the North Macedonia vs Wales match, which heavily favors the visitors for a victory.

• BetMines Algorithm prediction for the North Macedonia vs Wales match predicts sign 1 at 26%.
• BetMines Algorithm prediction for the North Macedonia vs Wales match predicts sign X at 28%.
• BetMines Algorithm prediction for the North Macedonia vs Wales match predicts sign 2 at 46%.

Predicted Lineups North Macedonia vs Wales

North Macedonia (4-2-3-1): Dimitrievski; Dimoski, Zajkov, Serafimov, Alioski; Bardhi, Alimi; Churlinov, Elmas, Trajkovski; Miovski. Coach: Milevski.

Wales (4-2-3-1): Ward; Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams; Jordan James, Sheehan; Brennan Johnson, Cullen, Daniel James; Harris. Coach: Bellamy.