Luka Stojanovski: Victory is the only imperative for us

Luka Stojanovski has established himself as a regular presence in North Macedonia's national team across several recent qualifying cycles. The experienced guard, who recently joined MZT Skopje Aerodrom, is part of the squad that begins the second round of EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers in Group F, facing Austria and Cyprus.

Match in Vienna opens second round

The opening test comes on Sunday, August 30, 2026, when North Macedonia travel to Vienna to play Austria at the Sport Arena; tip-off is scheduled for 16:05 local time.

After a training session at the Sport Arena in Vienna, Stojanovski set out the team's objective in blunt terms: "The expectation is that we win. In every match we'll play in the coming period we are going for a win. We prepare, watch video, set tactics. Simply put, we have a good and complete team at this moment. Victory, I would call it, is the only imperative before us."

North Macedonia carried perfect form through the previous pre-qualifying cycle, recording six wins from six games — a run that boosted the squad's confidence. The roster for the new cycle has been strengthened by the additions of Nenad Dimitrijevic and Moses Wright.

"Exactly. Those wins and the matches played in these pre-qualifiers are a big plus for us as a team. But the arrival of great players like Nenad and Moses will help us in our intent to reach the real qualifiers," Stojanovski added.

On Austria, the guard offered a short tactical read: "I would say they are above all a shooting team. Physically they are not dominant, so I would say they favour a fast style of play and that they have good shooting potential."

The encounter in Vienna is North Macedonia's first fixture in the second round of the EuroBasket 2029 pre-qualifiers and will kick off on Sunday, August 30, 2026 at 16:05 in the Sport Arena.

Photo: press material from the event