From Gjorgjev to Maslarov: close representative ties between Macedonia and Switzerland

With the Nations League opener between North Macedonia and Switzerland scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2026 at the Todor Proeski Arena in Skopje, the two national teams arrive with an unusually intertwined recent history of players who moved between Swiss and Macedonian setups. Current Swiss internationals Ardon Jashari and Adrian Bajrami are just the latest of several footballers with Macedonian roots born in Switzerland.

There is also a long list going the other way: players who represented Switzerland at youth level before switching sporting nationality to North Macedonia. The most notable success story among them is Nikola Gjorgjev. A former Grasshoppers prospect, Gjorgjev featured in Swiss youth squads up to the U19s with more than twenty appearances, scored in the memorable 2:2 draw with Serbia at the U19 European Championship in Poland, and later chose to represent North Macedonia at senior level. Now 29, he has five caps for the A team and is currently playing for Xamax.

Paths that diverged and returned

Other cases include Amel Rustemoski, another Grasshoppers product who spent time with Swiss U17, U19 and U20 teams before moving to North Macedonia’s U21s, though he never earned a senior call-up. Goalkeeper Senad Mujovic, also formerly with Grasshoppers, had official appearances for Swiss youth sides and ultimately said "yes" to Macedonia.

Expectations have not always been met. Luan Abazi, who played for Swiss U17 teams and later represented North Macedonia in U21 qualifying under coach Dragan Kanatlarovski, has not progressed as many hoped: at 24 he is currently playing in his home country’s fifth tier for Dardania. Burim Abdullahi, once on Servette’s books, is another player whose career stalled after switching national setups.

There are recent additions too. Muhamed Kurtishi, a Basel player who had an appearance for Switzerland U15, moved to Macedonia last year and is currently part of the U21 group. Ilija Maslarov is the most recent to commit to North Macedonia: a Lugano player on loan at Rapperswil-Jona, he had been a "Swiss" at U17 level before joining the Macedonian ranks.

Some younger players remain claimed by both systems: Servette U21 member Gregorijan Mihajlovski played 12 matches for North Macedonia’s U17s but is currently listed with Switzerland’s U18 squad. Ahead of Saturday’s match, the back-and-forth of national affiliations underlines how closely linked the two countries’ talent pools have become.

Photo: Mister No / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)