Vardar out of Europe — Babunski: "Goodbye Europe, full focus on the double crown"
After elimination in the qualifiers, Vardar and captain David Babunski turn attention to the national league and the cup.
31 July 2026 — Reigning Macedonian champion Vardar has been eliminated from European competition this summer and returns its full attention to domestic tasks: the national league and the cup.
The club failed to advance in the qualifying rounds for both the Champions League and the Conference League. In the return leg against Riga in Latvia, David Babunski scored an impressive goal that briefly rekindled hope after Vardar had lost the home leg 2:3. Captain Omeragić later made it 0:2 in the away match, and for a moment the team stood just three minutes away from reaching the third qualifying round.
Babunski calls for regrouping
That fragile momentum collapsed in extra time, when Vardar conceded four more goals and were knocked out. As one of the most experienced players in the squad, David Babunski used social media to set the tone for what comes next: "Goodbye Europe, full focus on the double crown," he wrote, signaling a shift of priorities toward domestic success.
Babunski’s message made clear there is no time for lamenting; the club must immediately mobilize and approach the rest of the season with a winning mentality. The team’s calendar now centres on the domestic championship and the Macedonian Cup.
UEFA previously confirmed that Hibernian will host Shkendija on 06 August 2026 at 21:00, a fixture that remains on the continent’s schedule even as Vardar’s European campaign has ended.
Photo: press material from the event
