2026 World Cup Qualifying: North Macedonia vs Wales
Venue: National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje
Date: Tuesday, 25 March
Kick-off: 19:45 GMT
Coverage: Watch on BBC One Wales, iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app, and S4C via iPlayer. Text commentary and highlights available on BBC Sport website & app. Listen live on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.
Wales captain Ben Davies praised head coach Craig Bellamy as “Mr. Calm” after their tough 3-1 win over Kazakhstan in the opening World Cup qualifier.
Wales didn’t play their best but managed to beat Kazakhstan, who are ranked 110th in the world, in Cardiff on Saturday.
Bellamy, known for his fiery temperament as a player with clubs like Liverpool, Newcastle United, and Manchester City, has shown a more composed approach since becoming Wales’ head coach last year.
“They made it hard for us, they were very defensive. In the first half, we forced a lot of passes when we didn’t need to,” said Davies, who scored Wales’ second goal, in an interview with Match of the Day Wales.
“In the second half, we were much more disciplined and got the job done, which was the most important part. My goal came at the perfect time; at 1-1, it could’ve gotten tense.”
“We’ve all been in games where we’re expected to win easily, but we know it’s never like that. They’re a proud team trying to win just like us.”
“The players were frustrated at halftime, but Bellamy was calm. He came in with a plan, clearly explained what he expected, and simply asked us for more energy while continuing what we were doing.”
Bellamy Feels Excited Ahead of North Macedonia Match
Wales’ next match is on Tuesday against North Macedonia, who started their campaign with a 3-0 win over Liechtenstein, the lowest-ranked team in Group J.
This was North Macedonia’s sixth straight win. While Wales may be slight favourites in Skopje, they’ll need to improve significantly on their performance against Kazakhstan to secure another win and keep their perfect record.
Belgium, who haven’t played yet, are the top seeds in Group J, followed by Wales in second and North Macedonia in third. Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein are at the bottom of the group.
Only the group winners will qualify automatically for the World Cup, with the second-placed team entering the play-offs.
Wales have almost secured a play-off spot by winning their Nations League group. A win against North Macedonia could give their hopes of automatic qualification a strong early boost.
“They’re a good team,” said Bellamy. “We need to be at our best. Do I lose sleep over it? No. There are more important things.”
“I enjoy the challenge of preparing a team to face tough places like North Macedonia. I’d love to have the chance to prepare a team for Brazil. I want to keep improving, and I want the players to improve too.”
“I don’t approach it like it’s a life-or-death situation. It’s a challenge we should embrace and be excited about. North Macedonia brings a lot to be excited about.”
