Macedonia started with another disappointing performance with a loss to Albania in Shkodër, with a goal scored by Bekim Balaj in the last moments of the game, in a match that was played over two days because of interruption in the 76th minute due to very bad weather conditions. Later on they also lost to Israel at home by missing a penalty kick by Adis Jahović in the last moments of the game. After that, the national team also lost to Italy beside their 2–1 lead with the goals scored by Ilija Nestorovski and Ferhan Hasani. At the end of another forgettable year Macedonia was outclassed by Spain in Granada (4–0) and after four rounds Macedonia had not scored a single point which was the worst qualifying start in the history of the national team.