North Macedonia Euro 2020 group: Who have they been drawn against?
The North Macedonia Euro 2020 group could be a tricky one for the debutants to get out of
The North Macedonia Euro 2020 group begins in Bucharest and Amsterdam on June 13.
As the name suggests, Euro 2020 was supposed to take place last year, but the coronavirus pandemic forced UEFA to postpone the tournament by 12 months.
The competition, which will be held in 11 different cities in the same number of countries, begins with a meeting between Italy and Turkey in Rome on June 11.
The final will take place a month later, with England, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and Germany all hoping to be walking out at Wembley on July 11.
Group C
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Whatever happens this summer, North Macedonia will make history at Euro 2020. This is the first major tournament the country has qualified for, and simply taking part is an achievement in itself.
That is not to say North Macedonia will be content to simply make up the numbers. A recent victory over Germany in World Cup qualifying suggests that opposing teams should write the debutants off at their peril.
North Macedonia only finished third in their Euro 2020 qualifying group, with Poland and Austria taking the top two spots.
They did, however, advance to the play-offs via their Nations League performance, and edged out Kosovo 2-1 in the Path D semi-finals.
That set up a winner-takes-all encounter against Georgia, with veteran talisman Goran Pandev grabbing the only goal of the game in the 56th minute.
North Macedonia will kick off their Euro 2020 campaign on June 13, when Austria will provide the opposition in Bucharest.
North Macedonia will not have to travel anywhere after their opening game, with their next match against Ukraine taking place at the same stadium on June 17.
Pandev and co. will then lock horns with the group favourites, the Netherlands, in their final first-round fixture on June 21.
That contest will be held at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, handing an advantage to North Macedonia’s opponents.
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