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The Turkish national football team will host North Macedonia in an international friendly match at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium tonight.

The kick-off for the Turkey vs North Macedonia fixture is scheduled for 00:30 WIB on Tuesday (May 2, 2026) early morning.

After a 22-year absence from the global stage, the hosts are eager to make their return, viewing Monday’s match, along with their upcoming clash against Venezuela next weekend, as a key opportunity to fine-tune preparations before launching their World Cup campaign against Australia in the coming weeks.

Turkey’s World Cup qualifying journey largely went according to plan, as they comfortably defeated teams like Bulgaria and Georgia but managed to collect only one point out of a possible six against Spain. Consequently, they finished second in Group E, just behind La Roja.

The Ay-Yıldızlılar then advanced to the play-offs, where they first faced Romania in the semi-finals and secured a 1-0 victory thanks to a 53rd-minute goal from Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ferdi Kadioglu.

Another crucial goal in the 53rd minute, this time from Kerem Aktürkoğlu, sealed the deal in the final as Turkey triumphed 1-0 over Kosovo to book their first World Cup ticket since 2002.

Meanwhile, North Macedonia continue their pursuit of a first-ever appearance on the global stage after their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup were dashed in the play-off semi-final against Denmark.

The Lynxes were last in action on Friday, drawing 0-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, and they will now aim to pose a strong challenge against another World Cup-bound side on Monday.

Head-to-Head Record and Statistics: Turkey vs North Macedonia

Turkey hold the upper hand in this fixture, having won five of their eight previous meetings, while North Macedonia have managed just one victory.

The two nations last met in a friendly in June 2017, which ended in a goalless draw.

In the latest FIFA World Rankings, Turkey sit in 22nd place, while North Macedonia are ranked 67th.

Turkey’s heavy 6-0 defeat to Spain last September remains their only home loss in the past three years.

The visitors have failed to score in four of their last five matches.

Turkey vs North Macedonia Prediction

Having secured five wins and one draw from their last six outings, Turkey are in an excellent position to claim another victory on Monday when they host a considerably weaker opponent.

However, for head coach Vincenzo Montella, maintaining rhythm and performance levels will be of greater importance than the scoreline itself.

On the other hand, North Macedonia are winless in their past seven games and face a tough challenge if they hope to end that streak in this encounter.

Predicted Score: Turkey 2-0 North Macedonia