The Macedonian national football team, led by coach Blagoja Milevski, has begun preparations for the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup against Liechtenstein and Wales.

photo by FFM

Under the influence of the mournful atmosphere in the country due to the great tragedy in Kochani, preparations will take place in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere with minimal contact with the public.

Ahead of Monday’s first training session, the Football Federation of Macedonia published a photo from before the start of the training session and a message from the national team and the coaching staff to the victims of the tragedy and their families:

“United in grief!
With a heart filled with pain and memory, we share the grief with the families of the victims and their loved ones.
Their bright spirit will continue to live in us.
May they rest in peace.
Macedonian A national team”

The national team will remain in Skopje until Thursday when it will take a charter flight to Vaduz, where it will play the match against Liechtenstein on Saturday, starting at 15.00 CET.