Salami: The 2026 World Cup qualifiers are an opportunity to build a strong Jordanian national team
Moroccan coach Jamal Sellami, the new technical director of the Jordanian national football team, confirmed that the draw for the decisive round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup placed the “Al-Nashama” team in a strong and competitive group, stressing that this stage represents a real opportunity to build a strong team capable of achieving the ambitions of the Jordanian fans in the future.
In exclusive statements to Okaz, Salami explained that the group, which includes the national teams of Uzbekistan, Bahrain, and North Korea, requires exceptional preparation and high concentration. He said: “We are in a group that includes the Uzbek national team, a strong and developing team that qualified for the World Cup, in addition to the Bahraini national team, which we know well and matches against them always have a special character, and the North Korean national team, which remains an enigmatic opponent. All of them are teams that deserve respect and possess similar levels of skill.”.
These qualifiers come at a time of great optimism for Jordanian football, following the national team's historic achievement of reaching the 2023 AFC Asian Cup final in Qatar under former coach Hussein Ammouta. This accomplishment has raised expectations among Jordanian sports fans, who now dream of seeing their country's flag flying at the World Cup for the first time in history, especially with the increased number of slots allocated to Asia in the 2026 edition.
Salami believes these tough challenges are the true test for developing players and honing their skills. He added, "We must prepare optimally, because tournaments like these require a high level of readiness and focus. But at the same time, we have an important opportunity to gain more experience and strong competition, which will benefit the national team in the long run.".
The Jordanian national team coach indicated that participating in the final World Cup qualifiers represents a crucial step in building the team for the future. He explained that the accumulated experience gained from facing different footballing styles will contribute to better preparing the team for upcoming competitions, most notably the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, a tournament in which Jordan aspires to compete for the title.
Salami concluded by emphasizing his confidence in the Jordanian players' abilities and their desire to achieve an unprecedented feat. He said, "The technical gains will be significant in tournaments like this, especially when facing strong teams. We believe in our ability to develop and perform at a higher level in the future, and we will work diligently to achieve our goals and bring joy to the Jordanian fans.".
