Macedonian Cadets Defeated the Faroe Islands and Secured Qualification for the 2027 World Championship

The men’s cadet national team of North Macedonia secured a place at the 2027 World Championship with a narrow victory over the Faroe Islands — 34-32 (18-13) in the placement match for 9th to 16th place at the European Championship, played on August 6, 2026. The team led by Goran Kuzmanoski sealed the ticket for next year’s global event.

Incidents on the court and disciplinary moments

The match was dynamic and shaped by the referees' decisions: the referees showed a total of four red cards, two for each team. North Macedonia dominated for much of the game, but the lead was put into question after the opponent’s run.

Nikolovski finished with ten saves and made key interventions at the most important moments. Gjorgjeski and Gjorgievski were the top scorers with seven goals each. The first half ended in our favor — 18-13.

After our boys led 17-24, we experienced a drop in play: the Faroe Islands produced a 7-0 run and leveled at 24-24. Goran Kuzmanoski called a timeout, but the scoring crisis was not immediately resolved until Jovic scored the goal that ended a long scoreless spell for North Macedonia.

Then Nikolovski recorded his ninth save at a crucial moment, and Vujchevski increased the lead to 24-26. In the 49th minute, Gjorchevski received a red card — earlier Nikolovski had received the same punishment. Despite the frequent exclusions in our ranks, Popovski brought the advantage to 24-27, and in the finish the situation remained uncertain.

A minute before the end Popovski converted a seven-meter for 31-33 and the contest finished with a happy outcome for North Macedonia: 32-34. The next opponent for our team is Portugal.

Photo: Football Federation of North Macedonia (FFM)