How Jordan became the first Arab team to qualify for 2026 Fifa World Cup

Khaleej Times

a day ago

It's somewhat ironic that an Arab coach led Jordan, a football-mad country of 11 million people, to their first-ever World Cup qualification after heavy investments in big-name English coaches had failed to produce results.
Unlike Harry Redknapp and the late Ray Wilkins, Jamal Sellami's CV doesn't feature a stint at any of the top European clubs.
But it was the Moroccan whose tactical acumen made the difference as Jordan last week became the first Arab team to secure their ticket to next year's World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
To put things in perspective, the hopes of Saudi Arabia, who have played in six World Cup since their debut at the global showpiece in 1994, are still hanging in balance.
A team that famously beat Argentina, the eventual winners, in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, face a tricky fourth-round qualifying campaign, with the nerve-racking playoffs looming, after failing to earn one of the two automatic berths from their group in the third round of Asian qualifiers.
Jordan, on the other hand, surprised the pundits with their near-perfect performances in the gruelling battle for the top two positions in their group during the third qualifying round.
So how did a small country, which entered World Cup qualifiers only 40 years ago, show such a big ambition to reach the pinnacle of the sport?
Jordan came very close to qualifying for the World Cup in 2013 when they advanced to the inter-continental playoffs on the back of some heroic performances in Asia.
But their campaign ended in heartbreak when they lost to a star-studded Uruguay team which clinched the spot at the 2014 World Cup.
The next two qualifying campaigns saw Jordan try out different coaches, including Redknapp and Wilkins, but a World Cup berth remained elusive.
Things started to change for them in 2023 after Hussein Ammouta, a Moroccan coach, took over.
It was under Ammouta that Jordan captivated the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar, even pulling off a shock 2-0 victory over South Korea in the semifinals.
Hosts Qatar proved too strong for them in the final, but playing their first title-decider in the continental showpiece was a testament to their progress and the scale of their ambition.
Inexplicably, Ammouta left the job last year, but Jordan found the ideal replacement in Sellami.
The 54-year-old inherited a team that was built to play the waiting game with a solid defensive formation before launching devastating counterattacks.
It's with that style of play that Jordan have now galloped into the World Cup finals by clinching the second spot behind South Korea with 16 points from 10 matches in Group B.
Striker Ali Olwan led the campaign with nine goals in the qualifiers as Rennes right-winger Musa Al-Tamari, the first Jordanian player in history to play club football in Europe, scored seven goals and Yazan Al-Naimat found the back of the net five times.
With just eight goals conceded in the third round, Jordan also had the second-best defensive record behind South Korea in Group B, showing the team's all-round depth.
They were virtually assured of a place in the World Cup following their comprehensive 3-0 win over Oman last Thursday with a hat trick from Ali Olwan.
Later that night South Korea's 2-0 victory over Iraq confirmed Jordan's World Cup qualification as massive celebrations erupted in the country.
While thousands of people hit the streets in Amman, singing, dancing and waving the national flag, King Abdullah II joined the celebrations from London wearing the team jersey.
Incredibly, Jordan's historic moment coincided with Eid Al Adha last week.
'This achievement comes after years of hard work from players and the Jordan FA,' said Sellami.
'This historic qualification is for all the people who believed in us.'
The celebrations will be even bigger if they pull off a shock win over a World Cup giant next year.