North Macedonia vs Switzerland: A First League B Test With Little Room for Hesitation

North Macedonia’s promotion to League B gives this Nations League opener a different character from their previous campaign: they are now facing opponents with a higher competitive profile from the outset. The first challenge is Switzerland at the Todor Proeski National Arena in Skopje, where Goce Sedloski’s side begin a demanding sequence of four matches in eleven days. The Macedonian federation has emphasised the importance of the entire group rather than treating Saturday as an isolated fixture, with Slovenia and Scotland also waiting before the return meeting with Switzerland in Lucerne. Switzerland enter the new campaign with a stated objective of returning to League A, according to the Swiss Football Association, but Murat Yakin is beginning that task with a younger squad and several important absences. The opening encounter therefore brings together a promoted League B side eager to establish itself and a Swiss team attempting to rebuild its Nations League position after the summer’s World Cup campaign.

The tactical contrast begins in midfield. North Macedonia have Elif Elmas, Enis Bardhi, Tihomir Kostadinov and Agon Elezi among their selected options, giving Sedloski several ways to combine technical ability with ball-winning work. Switzerland still possess a substantial core from their World Cup squad, while the federation has also introduced younger players such as Sascha Britschgi, Winsley Boteli and Zachary Athekame. Granit Xhaka, however, will not be part of this international window, while Denis Zakaria and Ruben Vargas are absent through injury. Breel Embolo is also unavailable for this match because of suspension and, on 25 September, the Swiss federation announced that he would not join the squad for the remainder of the window. Those changes leave Switzerland with several selection decisions to make in attacking and central areas, while North Macedonia have their own enforced absences to manage.

❗ The Confirmed Fitness Picture

The injury list is relatively clear when restricted to information officially confirmed by the two football associations. North Macedonia confirmed that Nikola Serafimov would miss the Nations League matches through injury. Switzerland confirmed that Denis Zakaria and Ruben Vargas were injured and would not join the camp, while Aurèle Amenda was also described by the SFV as physically affected and excluded from the gathering. The table does not classify Granit Xhaka or Breel Embolo as injuries because their absences have different causes. Xhaka is not joining the squad following a decision taken with the federation, while Embolo is suspended for the North Macedonia match and was subsequently told not to join the team for the remainder of the window. Darko Churlinov is likewise omitted from the injury table because the Macedonian federation gave an administrative reason for his absence rather than an injury.

North Macedonia
Category	Player	Injury / Status
Out / Ruled Out	Nikola Serafimov	Ruled out of the Nations League matches through injury

Switzerland
Category	Player	Injury / Status
Out / Ruled Out	Denis Zakaria	Physically affected and unavailable for the international window
Out / Ruled Out	Ruben Vargas	Injured and unavailable for the international window
Out / Ruled Out	Aurèle Amenda	Physically affected and did not join the national-team camp

🔵 Squad Leaders and Matchday Options

The official starting XIs had not yet been released in the federation material available before kickoff, so no predicted formation is presented as a confirmed lineup. Instead, these tables use players officially included in the current squads and highlight the personnel most relevant to the tactical picture. Sedloski selected 28 players for the four-match window and deliberately included four debutants, while Switzerland’s 25-man squad contains 20 players from the World Cup group together with three returnees and two new senior internationals. That gives both coaches a broad selection pool, particularly important because the two teams are scheduled to play several matches within a short period.

North Macedonia — Official Squad Focus
Category	Player	Role / Status
Goalkeeper	Stole Dimitrievski	Experienced international goalkeeper
Defender	Ezgjan Alioski	Experienced defensive option and returning senior player
Midfielder	Elif Elmas	Key attacking midfield option
Midfielder	Enis Bardhi	Experienced creative midfielder
Forward	Bojan Miovski	Established central attacking option

Switzerland — Official Squad Focus
Category	Player	Role / Status
Goalkeeper	Gregor Kobel	Established Switzerland goalkeeper
Defender	Manuel Akanji	Experienced central defender
Midfielder	Ardon Jashari	Midfield option from the World Cup group
Forward	Dan Ndoye	Attacking option from the established squad core
Forward	Johan Manzambi	Young attacking option in the current squad

📰 What the Camps Are Saying Before the First Whistle

North Macedonia’s pre-match messaging has been notably focused on preparation and belief rather than on Switzerland’s reputation. Midfielder Agon Elezi said the team’s attention was solely on Switzerland and that the players believed they could achieve a positive result. Head coach Goce Sedloski said he was satisfied with the intensity of the team’s first four training sessions and stressed that the players needed to focus on themselves. The federation has also highlighted that this is North Macedonia’s first season in League B after winning promotion from League C in the previous Nations League cycle. Switzerland’s federation, meanwhile, has described the opening match as the beginning of a campaign with the declared objective of returning to League A. Yakin is working with a rejuvenated squad while retaining a core of established players from the World Cup group.

• Competition: UEFA Nations League 2026/27 — League B, Group B1.
• Match: North Macedonia vs Switzerland.
• Date: 26 September 2026.
• Venue: Todor Proeski National Arena, Skopje.
• Kick-off: 20:45 local time.
• Group opponents: Switzerland, Slovenia and Scotland.
• North Macedonia: Opening their first Nations League campaign in League B after promotion.
• Switzerland: Beginning the campaign with the stated objective of returning to League A.

One of the most interesting details is the schedule itself. North Macedonia and Switzerland are not simply preparing for one match: they are entering a four-game international window that runs from 26 September to 6 October. Sedloski has already indicated that rotation will be necessary, while Tihomir Kostadinov described the compressed programme as a genuine test of the squad’s depth. Switzerland are facing the same logistical challenge, and Yakin has selected a 25-player group specifically for the four Nations League fixtures. That makes the opening tactical decisions relevant beyond Saturday night. A coach may need to balance immediate intensity with the physical demands of three further matches, particularly when several established players are absent.

The match also carries a small piece of history before it begins: the Macedonian federation describes it as the first-ever meeting between North Macedonia and Switzerland at senior international level. That removes the benefit of a recent head-to-head blueprint and places greater emphasis on how the two teams handle the opening tactical exchanges. North Macedonia have publicly spoken about maximum commitment and using their home setting, while Switzerland have arrived with a mixture of established World Cup players, returning internationals and potential debutants. The official starting XIs should provide the final tactical clues shortly before kickoff; until then, the confirmed squad information points to a contest shaped by midfield control, defensive organisation and the ability to manage a demanding international schedule without losing intensity.

⚽Full Match
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⚽Highlights
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