First Macedonian League ready for 2026/2027 season as groups and fixtures confirmed

The Basketball Federation of North Macedonia and clubs from the First Macedonian League met to finalise the competition system, confirm groups and draw the opening fixtures for the 2026/2027 season.

The meeting reviewed the calendar and organisation ahead of the new campaign. The season is scheduled to begin on October 10, 2026, and the draw determined the match-ups for the first round.

Group A — Round 1 pairings

• Borec Basket – Angeli
• IBA Skopje – Vodno Sans
• Mladinec – Crn Drim
• Feniks 2010 – Mega Basket

Group B — Round 1 pairings

• Gostivar – Teteks TTK
• Ovche Pole – Ohrid
• Gevgelija – Vardar
• Butel will be free in the first round.

Competition format and progression

Teams will play a double round-robin within their groups in the first phase (each team faces every other team in its group twice). After that phase the top four teams from each group advance to a TOP 8 stage, carrying over the results from the head-to-head games played in the first phase.

Clubs finishing fifth through eighth in their groups will enter a Play-out round to fight for survival in the top tier. At the end of the season the highest-ranked team in the First Macedonian League will earn promotion to the Superliga, while the last-placed team from the survival league will lose its first-league status.

The federation and clubs said they will now move into the final phase of preparations for the season, and the meeting underlined the importance of open communication and cooperation to improve organisation and club basketball development in the country.

Separately, the Basketball Federation of North Macedonia also held a draw for the Second League — Women. The women’s competition will begin on October 17, 2026, and the first-round pairings are:

• Gostivar – Shkupi
• Ohrid – Tim Arena
• Sport Tim – Struga 2009

Photo: press material from the event