JORDAN

Jordan is a 2026 World Cup debutant, never having played at a World Cup before. At the 2026 World Cup, Jordan plays in Group J against Argentina, Algeria, and Austria. Head coach Jamal Sellami, a Moroccan, has been in charge since June 2024 (replacing Hussein Ammouta, who left for family reasons). The leaders: Mousa Al-Tamari, Nur Al-Rawabdeh, Yazan Al-Naimat, Behnan Al-Rawabdeh.

Jordan has competed in football since 1953, but the real breakthrough came in the 2010s. At the 2024 Asian Cup, the team under Hussein Ammouta delivered a historic run — beating Iraq 3:2 in the quarterfinal (two goals in stoppage time), Tajikistan 1:0 in the semifinal, and reaching its first-ever Asian Cup final. In the final against host Qatar — a 1:3 defeat, but it was the loudest result in the nation's history.

Qualifying was a dramatic breakthrough. After Ammouta left in June 2024, Sellami took over and guided the team through two rounds of Asian qualifying. The decisive moment came on June 5, 2025, in a 3:0 away win over Oman that secured Jordan's first-ever World Cup ticket. In Group J the main rival is Argentina (June 28 in Arlington, the group finale). Matches are in San Francisco (the opener on June 17 against Austria), San Francisco, and Arlington. The team plays a tight 4-5-1 — the only path to the round of 16.

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