At the National Arena Toshe Proeski in Skopje on Friday, June 6, the clash between North Macedonia and Belgium takes place, valid for the third matchday of Group J in the 2026 World Cup UEFA qualifiers, which also includes Kazakhstan, Wales, and Liechtenstein. The hosts, led by Milevski, have started well in the group, collecting 4 points in the first two games thanks to a clear 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein and a 1-1 draw against Wales, with whom they will likely compete for the second place that leads to the playoffs. Belgium, having just overcome the Nations League relegation playoff against Ukraine, makes its debut in Group J. Rudi Garcia’s team, new coach since last January, is called upon to win to keep in touch with the top positions. A defeat would mean a seven-point gap behind North Macedonia, although the Red Devils still have two games in hand. To start these qualifiers on the right foot, Belgium must put aside the disappointments related to recent Euro and Nations League performances and rely on their leaders, especially Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, who are expected to lead the team towards a result that confirms Belgium’s top ambitions in this group.

North Macedonia Recent Form and Key Statistics

North Macedonia is enjoying a brilliant run of form in 2025, as shown by their results in the World Cup qualifiers. After a convincing 3-0 away win against Liechtenstein, Milevski’s team drew 1-1 at home against Wales, taking the lead in Group J with 4 points.

Noteworthy is their exceptional defensive solidity: in the last seven matches, North Macedonia has kept a clean sheet on six occasions.

Home advantage is a strong point: at home, the Macedonians are unbeaten in six consecutive matches, with a record of three wins and three draws. Among these results stand out two 1-1 draws in the 2023 European qualifiers against top teams like England and Italy, demonstrating their ability to trouble even stronger opponents.

Belgium Recent Form and Key Statistics

After a disastrous Nations League campaign, Belgium found success by beating Ukraine 3-0 in the second leg of the relegation playoff. This result ended a negative streak consisting of five defeats and a draw following the initial 3-1 win against Israel in the Nations League.

To try to reverse the trend, Rudi Garcia, former Napoli coach, was hired in January 2025 to relaunch a team that has struggled to fully express its potential for some time.

A concerning stat is Belgium’s poor away form: in the last Nations League edition, they suffered three away losses, including against weaker opponents like Israel and Ukraine, along with a draw.

North Macedonia vs Belgium Prediction and Tactical Overview

North Macedonia presents itself as a very compact and organized team that concedes very little to opponents, especially at home: only one goal conceded in the last four home games. In the last five matches played in front of their home crowd, Milevski’s side has scored few goals, managing to score more than once only once, against Armenia, and winning narrowly against the Faroe Islands 1-0.

Among the home players to watch is certainly Elmas, who had a very positive second half of the season with Torino and represents one of the main sources of quality and threat to the opposing defense.

Rudi Garcia’s team has shown several problems, especially in finishing chances, with two goalless matches in four recent away games. This happens despite the presence of high-level players like Romelu Lukaku, Serie A champion with Napoli, and Kevin De Bruyne, recently departed from Manchester City after ten years.

Therefore, the match between North Macedonia and Belgium promises to be balanced: the home team will rely on its defensive solidity to contain a Belgium side that must try to exploit the quality and experience of its individuals to break down a well-organized defensive block.

For this reason, the North Macedonia vs Belgium prediction expects a match with few goal-scoring opportunities: under 2.5 goals.

• North Macedonia vs Belgium prediction from the BetMines algorithm predicts a match with Over 2.5 goals at 38%.
  
  
• North Macedonia vs Belgium prediction from the BetMines Algorithm predicts a match with Under 2.5 goals at 62%.

Predicted Lineups North Macedonia vs Belgium

NORTH MACEDONIA (3-4-1-2): Dimitrievski; Zajkov, Musliu, Manev; Ilievski, Alimi, Kostadinov, Alioski; Bardhi; Miovski, Elmas. Coach: Milevski

BELGIUM (4-3-3): Sels; Meunier, Faes, Debast, De Cuyper; De Bruyne, Onana, Tielemans; Trossard, Doku, Lukaku. Coach: Garcia