The Matchday 1 clash in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers between Liechtenstein and North Macedonia will take place on March 22 at the Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz. Liechtenstein vs. North Macedonia: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Liechtenstein
The previous World Cup qualifying campaign was once again unsuccessful for the national team. Losing 9 out of 10 matches, Liechtenstein performed at their expected level, being one of Europe's weakest national teams. They managed to pick up points only in a match against Armenia (1:1). Additionally, the team scored just two goals in the last qualification, surpassing only San Marino in this metric across the entire European qualifiers.
- The team has lost their last 11 home matches in World Cup qualifiers.
- The national team failed to score in 10 of their last 11 home games in this qualifier.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 10 of Liechtenstein's last 14 home matches in World Cup qualification.
Predicted lineup for Liechtenstein (3-5-2)
Benjamin Büchel – Andreas Malin, Maximilian Göppel, Sandro Wolfinger – Nicolas Hasler, Simon Lüchinger, Jens Hofer, Aron Sele, Kenny Kindl – Fabio Notaro, Ferhat Saglam.
North Macedonia
The team performed excellently in the last qualifiers and came within a step of reaching the World Cup. In their group, North Macedonia finished second, ahead of Romania by one point, and in the playoffs, they managed to defeat Italy (1:0) but fell to Portugal (0:2) in the decisive match. Notably, in their last 11 World Cup qualification matches, the Macedonians lost only twice – to strong German and Portuguese teams (6 wins, 3 draws).
- The team has not lost in 8 of their last 10 away matches in World Cup qualification (6 wins, 2 draws).
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in the team's last four away matches in this qualifier.
- The Macedonians scored at least two goals in 5 of their last 7 away World Cup qualifying matches.
Predicted lineup for North Macedonia (4-3-3)
Stole Dimitrievski – Bojan Ilievski, Nikola Serafimov, Gjoko Zajkov, Ezgjan Alioski – Jani Atanasov, Isnik Alimi, Enis Bardhi – Darko Churlinov, Bojan Miovski, Aleksandar Trajkovski.
Referee
Nikolay Balakin (Ukraine)
Matches – 9 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 28;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.1;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 33%.
Match Prediction: Liechtenstein vs. North Macedonia
The weak level of Liechtenstein's players does not allow them to compete effectively even against mid-level national teams. The team particularly struggles in defense, with opponents regularly scoring in large numbers. In the previous World Cup qualifying cycle, Liechtenstein conceded 34 goals, and only two other teams in the entire European qualification had worse records – Gibraltar (43) and San Marino (46).
Meanwhile, the Macedonians showed great attacking prowess in the last World Cup qualifiers. Even away from home, the team consistently scored a lot: in each of their five away group matches, North Macedonia scored at least twice, netting a total of 15 goals. Furthermore, in all three head-to-head matches on Liechtenstein's field in World Cup qualification, the Macedonians scored at least three goals.
I believe the hosts will struggle to effectively counter their opponent, and I expect many goals from the Macedonian team. My prediction: North Macedonia individual total over 2.5 goals
