Struga TL still sole holder of 'eight of eight' season start as Shkëndija falls
After Shkëndija’s 1:3 home loss to Tikvesh on Friday, Sept 4, 2026 — featuring a hat‑trick by Nfanli Sila — Struga TL’s 2022/23 start of eight wins remains unbeaten.
Struga TL remains the only team in Macedonian top-flight history to have opened a season with eight straight wins, and recent results mean that mark will stand at least one more year.
Shkëndija’s bid to match that record ended after a home defeat by Tikvesh. On Friday, September 4, 2026, Tikvesh beat Shkëndija 3:1, with Nfanli Sila producing a hat-trick to deny Shkëndija a perfect start; the Tetovo side finishes the opening run at five wins from five.
The current campaign is the 35th season of the Macedonian First Football League (PMFL) since independence. Shkëndija had begun this season strongly, but the result in Tetovo proved that the eight-in-a-row benchmark set by Struga TL remains unmatched.
How Struga set the mark
Struga TL established the record in the 2022/23 season under coach Srgjan Zaharievski, winning their first eight league matches en route to the club’s first national title.
The winning sequence that summer of 2022 began with victory over Pobeda (3:0, home), and continued with wins against Bregalnica (0:1, away), Rabotnicki (2:1, home), Shkëndija (0:2, away), Sileks (2:1, home), Brera (0:3, away), Skopje (3:0, home) and Tikvesh (2:0, home). The streak was halted in round nine when Makedonija G.P. drew 1:1 with Struga TL in Gjorche.
Until another club equals or surpasses that start, Struga TL will retain the PMFL record for the most consecutive opening wins in a single season.
Photo: press material from the event
