Andorra Women Host North Macedonia in Crucial European Qualifier for First Points

Andorra's women's national football team faces North Macedonia this evening at the Estadi Nacional, aiming to secure their first points in the European Qualifiers for the Pre-World Cup and overtake the visitors for third place in League C Group C3.

The match marks the team's final home outing in the current phase, with a tough trip to group leaders Hungary scheduled for Monday. Coach Albert Panadero, known as Pana, described preparations as highly positive after a strong training week. "The team has been capable of competing against any League C rival for the past two years, especially at home," he said. He expects a challenging encounter against a young, quality North Macedonian side led by Aleksandar Andov, who sit just two points ahead but have otherwise faltered with a 2-0 loss to Azerbaijan and heavy defeats of 5-0 and 7-0 to Hungary.

Pana remains optimistic, noting the squad's adaptability to game plans. "We're living this positively and confident we'll go toe-to-toe with North Macedonia. A win would be a success," he added. He reiterated the focus on collective growth: "The motivation is to improve as a unit, maintain our competitive essence, and leverage our ambitious players' strong sense of unity and family."

Both teams seek revenge for the reverse fixture in Bitola, where North Macedonia prevailed 3-0 through goals by Galabovska, Meijer, and Grozdanova. Captain Tere Morató, riding high after promotion to Spain's top flight with Valencia—calling it "one of my best football experiences" and confirming her contract extension—highlighted the extra motivation. "This might be the match we're approaching with the most drive after how the away leg unfolded," she said. She cited poor pitch conditions, Andorra's subpar performance, and the scoreline as factors, adding, "We're eager to make amends. At home, we've posted good results and feel strong—it will be a totally different game."

Morató stressed capitalizing on set pieces and bolstering defense, areas for continued improvement. "Ending the home leg with a victory would be ideal, before we suffer in Hungary," she said. The team has again raised their preference to play at the FAF's Nou Estadi in Encamp with the federation.