North Macedonia national under-21 football team
| Nickname(s) | The Red Lions (Црвени лавови) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Football Federation of Macedonia | ||
| Confederation | UEFA (Europe) | ||
| Head coach | Dragi Kanatlarovski | ||
| Captain | Mario Ilievski | ||
| Most caps | Mario Ilievski (31) | ||
| Top scorer |
| ||
| Home stadium | Petar Miloshevski TC | ||
| FIFA code | MKD | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
| Unofficial 7–0 Estonia (Skopje, 31 May 1994) Official 5–3 Denmark (Kočani, 7 September 1994) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| Unofficial 7–0 Estonia (Skopje, 31 May 1994) Official 7–1 Faroe Islands (Skopje, 10 September 2019) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| 0–8 FR Yugoslavia (Skopje, 7 September 1999) | |||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2017) | ||
| Best result | Group stage, 2017 | ||
The North Macedonia national under-21 football team is a youth association football national team which represents North Macedonia at this age level and is a feeder team for the North Macedonia national football team. It was formerly known as the Macedonia national under-21 football team.
This team is for Macedonian players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Also in existence are teams for Under-20s (for non-UEFA tournaments), Under-19s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side and again for the U21s. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible).
The under-21 age category came into existence with the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions in 1976. The Macedonia U21 team was formed following Macedonia's independence from SFR Yugoslavia in 1991 and is controlled by the Football Federation of North Macedonia (from 1976 to 1992 Macedonian players played for Yugoslavia U21). A 7–0 win in a friendly against Estonia played on 31 May 1994 was Macedonia U21s' first result. Four months later, Macedonia also had their first competitive match which ended in a 5–3 win against Denmark.
So far, the team has qualified for one final tournament, the one being the 2017 Euro U21 held in Poland for players born 1994 or later. They ended the tournament on the 11th position with 1 draw and 2 losses over the group stage.
UEFA U-21 Championship Record
| UEFA U-21 Championship record | UEFA U-21 Championship Qualification record | Manager(s) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | |||
| 1996 | Did not qualify | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 27 | −11 | Jovo Nikushev | |||||||||
| 1998 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 17 | −14 | Zoran Smileski | ||||||||||
| 2000 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 25 | −23 | Perica Gruevski, Blagoja Kitanovski | ||||||||||
| 2002 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 18 | −12 | Blagoja Kitanovski, Nikola Ilievski | ||||||||||
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 23 | −19 | Zharko Odjakov, Mirsad Jonuz | ||||||||||
| 2006 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 18 | −9 | Mirsad Jonuz | ||||||||||
| 2007 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2009 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | −1 | |||||||||||
| 2011 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 19 | −10 | Mirsad Jonuz, Boban Babunski | ||||||||||
| 2013 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 15 | −1 | Boban Babunski | ||||||||||
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 13 | −13 | Boban Babunski, Vujadin Stanojković | ||||||||||
| 2017 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | Blagoja Milevski | ||
| 2019 | Did not qualify | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 24 | −7 | Blagoja Milevski, Dobrinko Ilievski | |||||||||
| 2021 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | +8 | Blagoja Milevski | ||||||||||
| 2023 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 15 | −7 | Blagoja Milevski, Dragan Kanatlarovski | ||||||||||
| Total | 1/15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 132 | 32 | 26 | 74 | 136 | 245 | −109 | |||
2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 21 | Final tournament | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | France | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 20 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Iceland | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 18 | 3–0 | 3–2 | — | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 4 | Ukraine | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 14 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 5 | Scotland | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 8 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 6 | Northern Ireland | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 18 | −12 | 2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — |
Final tournament
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 9 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Serbia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 1 | |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 1 |
2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | +19 | 28 | Final tournament | — | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 18 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 7–1 | 2–1 | |||
| 3 | Israel | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 14 | −2 | 13 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | ||
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 10 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–2 | — | 2–3 | 0–4 | ||
| 5 | Faroe Islands | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 25 | −14 | 9 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | Montenegro | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 7 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — |
Source: UEFA
2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 5 | +26 | 26 | Final tournament | — | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | |
| 2 | Ukraine | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 23 | Play-offs | 3–3 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | |
| 3 | Serbia | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 12 | 0–3 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Faroe Islands | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 10 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 5 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 9 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 3–1 | |||
| 6 | Armenia | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 28 | −21 | 3 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — |
Source: UEFA
2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Qualification
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | +29 | 30 | Final tournament | — | 3–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Georgia | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 19 | Play-offs | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | |
| 3 | Sweden | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 17 | 2–4 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | 4–0 | 9–0 | ||
| 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 15 | −7 | 12 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | |||
| 5 | Moldova | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 20 | −13 | 7 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | ||
| 6 | Gibraltar | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 31 | −28 | 3 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — |
Source: UEFA
Recent results and fixtures
Generation 2004+
| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | North Macedonia scorer(s) | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friendly matches | |||||
| 14 November 2024 | Petar Miloševski Training Centre, Skopje, North Macedonia | Kosovo | 1–3 | Velichkovski 16' | ffm.mk |
| 17 November 2024 | 0–1 | ||||
| 21 March 2025 | Ekodizayn football complex, Antalya, Turkey | Belarus | 1–3 | Stojanov 81' | ffm.mk |
| 25 March 2025 | Azerbaijan | 0–0 | ffm.mk | ||
| 28 May 2025 | Fadil Vokrri Stadium, Pristina, Kosovo | Kosovo | 0–0 | ffm.mk | |
| 31 May 2025 | Petar Miloševski Training Centre, Skopje, North Macedonia | 0–0 | ffm.mk | ||
- * Macedonia's scores are always listed first
Squad
Current squad
Squad named for the friendly matches against Kosovo on 28 and 31 May 2025.[1]
Caps and goals as of 31 May 2025, after both matches against Kosovo.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Vasko Vasilev | 16 April 2004 | 5 | 0 | Rabotnichki |
| 12 | GK | Ljupche Djekov | 18 October 2005 | 4 | 0 | Sileks |
| 22 | GK | Slave Vrgov | 18 January 2006 | 0 | 0 | AP Brera |
| 3 | DF | Gjorge Djekov | 18 October 2005 | 11 | 0 | Sileks |
| 24 | DF | Anes Meliqi | 9 January 2006 | 7 | 0 | Shkëndija |
| 18 | DF | Numan Ajetovikj | 18 March 2006 | 4 | 0 | Shkëndija |
| 16 | DF | David Dailoski | 26 February 2005 | 4 | 0 | Venlo |
| 5 | DF | Marko Stojilevski | 24 October 2005 | 1 | 0 | AP Brera |
| 4 | DF | Andrija Dimeski | 5 February 2005 | 0 | 0 | Voždovac |
| 2 | DF | Nikola Najdovski | 5 February 2004 | 0 | 0 | Tikvesh |
| 6 | MF | Matej Angelov (captain) | 11 July 2004 | 18 | 0 | Rabotnichki |
| 8 | MF | Adrijan Zendelovski | 6 February 2005 | 8 | 0 | Olympic |
| 10 | MF | Martin Gjorgievski | 28 February 2005 | 7 | 0 | AP Brera |
| 21 | MF | Dimitar Danev | 23 May 2006 | 6 | 0 | Vardar |
| 15 | MF | Teodor Nikolovski | 19 January 2005 | 5 | 0 | Rabotnichki |
| 20 | MF | Nikola Manojlov | 1 February 2006 | 4 | 0 | Rabotnichki |
| 7 | MF | Matej Gashtarov | 15 November 2006 | 2 | 0 | Crvena Zvezda |
| 19 | MF | Memetriza Hamza | 9 February 2004 | 2 | 0 | Struga |
| 14 | MF | Andrej Arizankoski | 8 May 2005 | 1 | 0 | AP Brera |
| 23 | MF | Gjorgji Doshev | 3 February 2005 | 0 | 0 | Makedonija GP |
| 11 | FW | Dimitar Trajkov | 8 August 2004 | 8 | 0 | Dugopolje |
| 17 | FW | Kire Stojanov | 28 August 2005 | 4 | 1 | Belasica |
| 9 | FW | Mihail Talevski | 9 February 2004 | 1 | 0 | Vardar |
Recent call-ups
Players that have been called up within the past 12 months and are eligible for the 2027 European U21 Football Championship Qualifiers.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Stefan Jovanoski | 17 February 2006 | 1 | 0 | Slavia U19 | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| DF | Benan Hamidović | 28 March 2006 | 3 | 0 | Magdeburg U19 | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| DF | Daniel Markovski | 29 April 2005 | 2 | 0 | Jönköpings Södra | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| DF | Andrej Velkov | 7 February 2006 | 1 | 0 | AP Brera | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| DF | Malik Hamzikj | 2 May 2005 | 3 | 0 | Gostivar | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| DF | Xhelaidin Amedoski | 14 March 2005 | 2 | 0 | Sion U21 | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| DF | Ardian Osmani | 3 February 2005 | 2 | 0 | Grasshopper U21 | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| DF | Borjan Poposki | 23 April 2004 | 1 | 0 | Belasica | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| DF | Eren Alievski | 31 October 2004 | 0 | 0 | Trelleborg | v. Moldova, 11 October 2024 WD |
| MF | Shaban Zenku | 4 February 2004 | 5 | 0 | Struga | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| MF | Besmir Daci | 29 September 2004 | 0 | 0 | Shkupi | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| MF | Bekim Kamberi | 2 September 2004 | 4 | 1 | Valby United | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Rayan Berberi NA | 18 March 2004 | 2 | 0 | Olympic Charleroi | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Shenol Demiroski | 7 September 2005 | 2 | 0 | Brian | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Donart Ibraimi | 16 February 2004 | 2 | 0 | Elbasani | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Leon Tashov | 13 November 2005 | 2 | 0 | Preußen | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Mateo Sofijanoski | 24 June 2004 | 1 | 0 | Makedonija GP | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
| MF | Ardijan Chilafi | 3 June 2004 | 4 | 0 | Sampdoria U19 | v. Gibraltar, 9 September 2024 |
| FW | Nikola Velichkovski | 13 September 2005 | 3 | 1 | Septemvri | v. Azerbaijan, 26 March 2025 |
| FW | Matej Momchilovski | 11 January 2005 | 2 | 0 | Brinje | v. Kosovo, 17 November 2024 |
- A: Called up by the Macedonia A National Team
- U19: Called up by the Macedonia U19 National Team
- INJ: Injured
- WD: Withdrew
- NA: Not available
Current First Squad
Past squads
Statistics
- As of 15 October 2024.
Most appearances
|
Top goalscorers
|
See also
- North Macedonia national football team
- North Macedonia national under-19 football team
- North Macedonia national under-17 football team
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship
References
External links
- MacedonianFootball Contains news and information about the Macedonian U-21 National Football Team.
- UEFA Under-21 website Contains full results archive
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.