Jordan's World Cup Dream: Can They Pull Off an Upset?

Underdogs on the rise, Jordan's World Cup debut

Jordan prepares for historic World Cup debut in North America, aiming to replicate Morocco's surprise run to semis in 2022.

Jordan's squad eyes historic World Cup run, inspired by Morocco's success in Qatar 2022...

Jordan's coach Jamal Sellami wants his team to replicate Morocco's surprise World Cup run, ahead of their debut in North America. Morocco made history by reaching the semi-finals in 2022, and Sellami's urging his players to aim for similar glory.

Jordan's in Group J with Austria, Algeria, and Argentina, and they're in Antalya for their final training camp before the World Cup kicks off on June 11th.

Media access to Argentina's training sessions has been limited as they fine-tune tactics. Players are hyped, with some saying they're having trouble sleeping before the big tournament.

Coach Sellami is urging them to draw inspiration from Morocco's impressive run at the last World Cup, where they pushed France hard before losing 2-0 in the semis.

“In ⁠big competitions, many teams can surprise. ‌My country Morocco reached the semi-finals in the last World Cup,” he said. “That gives us belief.”

Jordan's heading to Turkey for a four-team regional tournament, playing Costa Rica on Friday and Nigeria on Tuesday. The tournament also features Iran and was moved from Jordan due to the Middle East conflict.

“Of course we feel sad about what is ⁠happening. I hope there will be peace,” midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh said at the camp.

“But this is football — we moved here and we need to adapt. In the World Cup you face the unknown, so we must be ready for everything.”

These Jordan players are feeling underdog vibes, but they're not just there for the ride – they're gunning for it! “We're not just going to make up numbers,” they're saying.

“For us, we are not going just for participation,” Al-Rawabdeh added. “We are aiming to go as far as we can in the tournament.

“To be honest, sometimes we don't sleep when we think about it,” he added. “It’s a dream come true for us.”

Jordan snagged an automatic World Cup spot, finishing second to South Korea in their Asian qualifying group. Defender Mohammad Abu Alnadi says the squad's stoked to compete on the biggest football stage.

The team's hyped to make their mark, and Alnadi's emphasizing they're ready to bring their A-game.

“It's truly amazing. All of us are excited. It's one of the highest levels any player can ‌play,” he said.

“We want to go as far as possible — like any other team — and make history again.”

Sellami reckons the Antalya camp's crucial for building experience ahead of facing top-notch teams like Argentina, Austria, and Algeria.

“We are preparing step by step. We've played against different football cultures,” he ⁠said.

“We are collecting experience and, Inshallah (God ⁠Willing), we will surprise many ‌people.”