Jordan Plays Switzerland Ahead Of World Cup

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN - Jordan plays Switzerland Sunday afternoon in the first of two friendlies ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The 4:00 pm Jordan time match will be played in St Gallen's Kybunpark Stadium, following which the squad will leave for the US on Monday and will be based in Portland. World 63rd ranked Jordan is set to play 7-time World Cup qualifier 13^th ranked Columbia in San Diego on June 7 in the final friendly before the Kingdom kicks off World Cup Group J matches in San Francisco against FIFA 24th ranked Austria, on June 17, and 28th ranked Algeria on June 23. The team will then travel to Dallas to play World 3rd ranked reigning World champions Argentina on June 23 in the last Round 1 match.

Despite the challenging group, Jordan's coach Jamal Sellami, a World Cup player with Morocco at France 1998, believes his side is capable of making a strong impression.

In a press conference Saturday, Sellami noted the friendly against Switzerland comes at a critical phase to assess lineup readiness, tactics, and fitness. He emphasized“the importance of maintaining focus and adapting to the distinct style of opponents”.

Sellami has motivated players underlining the“honor and responsibility of being the first team to represent Jordan in the World Cup.”

For World 19^th ranked Switzerland who have made it to the World Cup 12 times, and will play in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar, and Bosnia, the Jordan match is also a final test with head coach Murat Yakin calling out Jordan's stat striker Mousa Ta'mari an“exceptional player.”

Jordan's squad, dubbed“Al Nashama', trained this week during the Independence Day and Eid Al Adha holiday, before leaving home Thursday after Sellami dropped two players, goalie Ahmad Jue'idi and Ahmad Assaf, from the the lineup. Two more are expected to be dropped ahead of the World Cup which opens on June 11.

Mousa Ta'mari, Yazan Al Arab and Ali Alwan, lead the Jordanian squad together with the return of team captain Ehsan Haddad who had been out for the season, Mohammad Abul Nadi, Nizar Rashdan, Mahmoud Mardi and Mohammad Abu Zreiq 'Sharara' who joined Raja Casablanca. Key players on the injury list have joined the team upon Jordan Football Association President HRH Prince Ali's directives and include star striker Yazan Nue'imat, Adham Qurashi, as well as Isam Smeiri, who excelled in the Arab Cup.

Key absentees not recalled include Tamer Bani Odeh who plays in the UK; Yousef Abu Jalboush 'Sisa', whose team Hussein captured the Pro League, Jordan Cup and Super Cup; Baha'a Faisal who made a return to the squad after over 4 years of absence in the March regroup, as well as Jordan league top scorer Faisali's Ahmad Ersan, among others. Sellami opted for younger players like Ibrahim Sabra, Ali Azaizeh, Odeh Fakhoury, Mohammad Abu Gosh and Yousef Qashi as the average age of the national team has been significantly reduced to include a younger lineup to serve the team for the future.

In the past few months of their World Cup preparations agenda, Jordan held Russia 0-0, beat the Dominican Republic 3-0, lost to Bolivia 1-0, and to Albania 4-2, held Mali 0-0, lost to 7-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia 3-2 and held Nigeria and Costa Rica 2-2.

Since 1986, when Jordan first participated in World Cup qualifiers, the closest was in 2014 World Cup when they played then FIFA 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie before exiting. Round 3 was the furthest they reached in earlier editions.

At look back at Jordan's past achievements saw their best ever FIFA ranking was 37^th in 2004 after advancing to the Asian Cup quarterfinals and losing to eventual champs Japan. Jordan's World Cup qualification seems to have started with the 2023 Asian Cup, when the team reached the final before losing to hosts Qatar. In December 2025, Jordan finished runner-up to eventual champions Morocco at the 2025 FIFA Arab Cup, despite missing many key players on the injury list or club duty. By finishing runner-up at the 2023 Asian Cup, followed by a historic first-time qualification to the 2026 edition of the World Cup, Jordan booked their spot in the next edition of the 2027 Asian Cup a well.

MENAFN30052026000028011005ID1111187200