AFC Asian Cup
There will be no shortage of confidence in the camp after going from strength to strength since their memorable run to the final at Qatar 2023.
Factfile
FIFA Ranking: 72
Previous appearances: 5
First appearance: 2004
Best finish: Runners-up (2023)
2023 result: Runners-up
How they qualified: Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 Group G winners
Group B fixtures - Jan 8 v Uzbekistan, Jan 13 v Bahrain, Jan 17 v DPR Korea
Fun fact: Jordan scored five goals from outside the box at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, the joint most by any team in a single edition of the competition since 2007 (Uzbekistan – 5 in 2011).
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Outdone only by a buoyant Qatar on their own turf with Akram Afif scoring a hat-trick of penalties in the final of the last edition, it was a tournament that Jordan got progressively better with each passing stage.
They were then helmed by Hussein Ammouta and possessed a dream front three of Yazan Al Naimat, Mousa Al Taamari and Ali Olwan, who were backed by the rock-solid defensive pairing of Abdallah Nasib and Yazan Al Arab.
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Jamal Sellami took over after the tournament and Jordan breezed through the Qualifiers, finishing ahead of Saudi Arabia to qualify for 2027 edition with the West Asian nation also reaching a historic first FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Defeats at the global showpiece to Austria, Algeria and Argentina did not tell the full story as Jordan showed they were capable of competing, just lacking the necessary experience as Olwan, Nizar Al Rashdan and Al Taamari all got on the scoresheet.
Now under their third successive Moroccan head coach in Badou Zaki, Jordan will be relying on the same core of players from four years ago - sprinkled with younger talents like Ali Azaizeh and Odeh Fakhoury - as Al Nashama look forward to another successful campaign.
