Jordan World Cup 2026 preview: Players to watch, group matches and squad

Previous World Cup appearances: 0
Player to watch: Mousa Tamari
FIFA satellite ranking: 63

Jordan are appearing astatine the World Cup finals for the archetypal time, with their Moroccan manager Jamal Sellami hoping that his players tin emulate the heroics of The Atlas Lions 4 years ago.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 4All to cognize astir the FIFA World Cup 2026 stadiums
• list 2 of 4Ranking the World Cup 2026 groups: Which teams are favourites to progress?
• list 3 of 4World Cup 2026: All the cardinal dates from opening crippled to final
• list 4 of 4From sensor-equipped balls to robot dogs: What’s caller astatine the World Cup?

“In large competitions, galore teams tin surprise. My country, Morocco, ‌reached the semifinals successful the past World Cup,” the Reuters quality bureau quoted him arsenic saying during a grooming campy successful Antalya, Turkiye, successful precocious March.

“That gives america belief.”

While a tally to the semifinals mightiness beryllium a small spot optimistic, Jordan are coming into the tourney connected a bully tally of form.

The Middle East federation reached the last of the 2023 Asian Cup, losing to hosts Qatar, and besides played Morocco successful the last of the 2025 Arab Cup, agonisingly falling abbreviated successful a 3-2 decision aft other time.

Jordan besides scored 32 goals successful World Cup qualifying, marking their highest tally successful a azygous qualification campaign. But 8 of those goals were scored by Yazan Alnemat, who volition miss this summer’s tourney owed to injury.

Sellami takes Jordan into the large time

The Al-Nashama, oregon the “noble ones”, person developed into a important unit successful Arab shot since Sellami took implicit arsenic manager successful June 2024 and built connected the enactment of his predecessor, compatriot Hussein Ammouta.

Sellami believes the squad helium has built tin present a daze akin to Algeria beating Germany successful 1982, Cameroon stunning reigning champions Argentina successful 1990, and Senegal repeating the feat against holders France successful 2002.

“These results unfastened horizons of anticipation and ambition for the fans, truthful they tin dream,” Sellami, who played for Morocco astatine the 1998 World Cup, told Arabic sports transmission TFK.

“And we excessively person the close to imagination and to strive to beryllium a beardown squad and contiguous ourselves well,” helium added.

The 55-year-old erstwhile midfielder has built a well-structured, disciplined squad that utilises their wealthiness of originative guardant endowment to deed opponents connected the interruption with lightning-quick transitions.

Star striker misses out

While Jordan’s qualifying run gives them plentifulness of anticipation for this summer’s tournament, their squad successful North America volition beryllium missing a large portion of what made them specified a unit successful Asian qualifying.

Forward Yazan Alnemat contributed 8 goals, but volition miss the World Cup finals aft suffering an ACL wounded successful the Arab Cup quarterfinals past December.

“Yazan is simply a subordinate who cannot beryllium replaced,” conceded Sellami. “But we volition find a operation for the squad that tin inactive beryllium unsafe to the opponent, and that besides gives america equilibrium successful our antiaircraft performance.”

Alnemat’s apt replacement, Ali Olwan, has recovered from an Achilles wounded sufficiently to instrumentality his spot successful Sellami’s extended squad. He contributed 9 goals successful qualifying, highlighting Jordan’s extent successful attacking options.

Mousa Tamari and Nizar al-Rashdan instrumentality portion successful a grooming league successful mentation for the World Cup [Alaa Al Sukhni/Reuters]

‘Jordan’s Messi’ hopes to shine

Captain Mousa Tamari is 1 of Jordan’s biggest attacking threats and volition beryllium looking to torment defenders connected the close wing.

The 28-year-old Rennes midfielder is the lone Jordan subordinate who competes successful 1 of Europe’s apical 5 leagues and has enjoyed a beardown play successful France, scoring 7 goals and grabbing 11 assists successful 36 appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit.

He’s besides been a cardinal subordinate astatine planetary level, scoring 23 goals successful 76 appearances for the Jordan nationalist team.

If Jordan are to upset the odd’s astatine this summer’s World Cup, they volition request to trust heavy connected the antheral known arsenic “Jordan’s Messi”.

How does Jordan’s radical look?

Defending champions Argentina supply formidable absorption successful Jordan’s last crippled successful Group J, with the existent Messi squaring up against his Jordanian counterpart.

Sellami’s broadside volition look Austria successful their opening lucifer successful San Francisco, with the European federation making their archetypal quality astatine the World Cup since 1998.

Jordan are the lowest-ranked squad successful their group, but possibly their champion accidental of occurrence volition travel against the second-lowest-ranked side, Algeria.

The African broadside recorded 8 wins successful World Cup qualifying and volition look to Riyad Mahrez to supply goals and assists.

Jordan’s radical signifier lucifer dates and kickoff times:

⚽ June 16: Austria v Jordan (San Francisco Bay Area, US), 9pm (04:00 GMT connected June 17).

⚽ June 22: Jordan v Algeria (San Francisco Bay Area, US), 8pm (03:00 GMT connected June 23).

⚽ June 27: Jordan v Argentina (Dallas, Texas, US), 9pm (02:00 GMT connected June 28).

Al Jazeera’s prediction:

A combat for 3rd successful their group, but ultimately, qualification for the knockouts whitethorn beryllium a agelong for Jordan.

Full squad

Goalkeepers: Yazeed Abulaila (Al-Hussein), Abdullah al-Fakhouri (Al-Wehdat), Noor Bani Attiah (Al-Faisaly).

Defenders: Abdallah Nasib (Al-Zawraa), Ehsan Haddad, Saed al-Rosan, Saleem Obaid (Al-Hussein), Yazan al-Arab (FC Seoul), Mohammad Abualnadi (Selangor), Husam Abu Dahab, Anas Banawi (Al-Faisaly), Mohannad Abu Taha (Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya), Mohammad Abu Hasheesh (Al-Karma).

Midfielders: Noor Al-Rawabdeh (Selangor), Nizar al-Rashdan (Qatar), Ibrahim Saadeh (Al-Karma), Rajaei Ayed, Mahmoud Al-Mardi (Al-Hussein), Amer Jamous (Al-Zawraa), Mohammad al-Dawoud (Al-Wehdat).

Forwards: Mousa Tamari (Rennes), Odeh al-Fakhouri (Pyramids), Mohammad Abu Zrayq (Raja Casablanca), Ali Azaizeh (Al-Shabab), Ibrahim Sabra (Lokomotiva Zagreb), Ali Olwan (Al-Sailiya).