Last season, KuPS made it to the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League, and will be hoping for another extended run in Europe this time out, and each qualifying tie success edges them closer to at least the third tier competition, if not higher.
They gave their UCL progression chances no harm in Skopje, North Macedonia, where Clinton Antwi set up Brahima Magassa on the stroke of half-time to break the deadlock.
Bob Armah then doubled the lead four minutes after the restart, and any hopes the Macedonian champions had of getting back into the game were dealt a blow with 16 minutes to play, after Nemanja Bosancic was sent off having been booked twice in four minutes.
Vardar are not out of the tie yet, but they will have to go to Kuopio on 14th July and win by at least two to keep their UCL mission alive, or face a drop down into the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.