After nine previous attempts brimming with hope and determination, Jordan have finally broken their duck and qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Their story spans decades of ambition and unrelenting effort, punctuated by heartbreak and edge-of-your-seat moments.
As the tournament approaches, Jordan are set to enter the fray with a generation of talent described as the country’s finest ever, coming off the unprecedented achievement of reaching the AFC Asian Cup final and now continuing the march towards their date with destiny on the global stage.
Jordan coach: Jamal Sellami
Fresh off his successes in the AFC Asian Cup and the second round of World Cup qualifiers, former national-team coach Hussein Ammouta departed for a new challenge, leaving the Jordan Football Association searching for a successor to sustain the team’s momentum. As fears of a drop-off in performance swirled, the association secured a deal with Ammouta’s Moroccan compatriot, Jamal Sellami, who has followed his predecessor’s blueprint and built on the foundations of success that had been laid.
Sellami, 55, was a standout midfielder in his playing days. He made his name with Raja Casablanca, with whom he clinched numerous titles, and enjoyed a successful three-year stint with Besiktas. Sellami also represented Morocco at the 1998 FIFA World Cup France™ before hanging up his boots whilst at Maghreb Fez in 2004.
Sellami later turned to coaching, working with youth teams at Raja and other Moroccan clubs before moving up to the senior ranks. After a stint in charge at FUS Rabat, he led Raja to a domestic title in 2019-20 and eventually returned to FUS. He also led Morocco to the 2018 African Nations Championship title.
Since taking charge of the Nashama in June 2024, Sellami has maintained the side’s defensive solidity and adopted a dynamic playing style that relies on flexibility and team chemistry, demonstrating an ability to deploy his players’ capabilities to maximum effect. In 12 matches during his tenure to date, Jordan have lost only two, to Korea Republic and Iraq, while scoring 19 goals and conceding eight.
Jordan’s World Cup 2026 fixtures and group
Full World Cup 2026 match schedule
How Jordan qualified for World Cup 2026
Jordan’s qualifying campaign began in the second round of the AFC qualifiers and got off to a bumpy start, with an away draw against Tajikistan followed by a home defeat to Saudi Arabia. The team quickly regained their balance and reeled off four consecutive victories – including a 7-0 rout of Pakistan – that put them ahead of Saudi Arabia on goal difference.
With Sellami steering the ship by the time of the third round, the team continued their strong showings thanks to the brilliance of attacking trio Mousa Al-Tamari, Yazan Al-Naimat and Ali Alwan, taking their tally to 16 points after a 3-0 win over Oman on 5 June 2025. Qualification was confirmed later that day when Iraq lost to Korea Republic, which secured the second automatic spot for Jordan before the final round.
Jordan’s World Cup history
Jordan’s World Cup breakthrough follows past heartbreak
Although Jordan’s World Cup qualifying campaigns had all previously ended in heartbreak until this one, there were nevertheless standout chapters, most notably in the qualifiers for Brazil 2014. After drawing with Uzbekistan 2-2 on aggregate in the fifth round of the AFC qualifiers, the Nashama managed to overcome them on penalties to reach an intercontinental play-off against Uruguay.
Just 180 minutes separated the Jordanians from achieving the long-awaited dream. They faced a Uruguay side that had finished fourth at the global showpiece tournament in South Africa in 2010 and boasted three of the world’s biggest stars: Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan. That firepower ultimately proved too hot for the Nashama to handle. Uruguay left Amman with a comfortable victory in the first leg, and Jordan ultimately missed out on qualification despite a respectable draw in the return leg in Montevideo.
Jordan’s top scorer in World Cup qualifying
Though operating primarily as an attacking midfielder, Hassan Abdel-Fattah was renowned for his clinical finishing in front of goal and especially his knack for accurate and powerful strikes from distance. He earned his place in Jordanian football folklore for his contributions over 11 years, especially an array of iconic World Cup qualifying moments.
Abdel-Fattah’s tally of 16 goals in World Cup qualifying – the highest ever by a Jordanian – began with a brace against Korea Republic in the Germany 2006 campaign and finished with a strike against Tajikistan in the quest to secure a berth at Russia 2018. He was also the star of the Nashama’s biggest-ever victory, bagging four goals in their 9-0 rout of Nepal during the opening round of Brazil 2014 qualifying.
