Jordan are Austria's first World Cup opponents — on June 17 at 06:00 CEST in Santa Clara — and the only one the ÖFB has never faced. The debutants are billed as a routine win. Which is exactly why they deserve the closest look: read Jordan only as the world's number 63 and you miss a team that reached two major finals in two years.
From the Asian Cup final to a first World Cup
Jordan's rise is recent. Moroccan coach Hussein Ammouta took over in 2023 — and sensationally led the team to the 2024 Asian Cup final, beating Iraq, Tajikistan and South Korea before hosts Qatar proved too strong (3-1). When Ammouta left in summer 2024 for family reasons, his compatriot Jamal Sellami took over — and completed the first World Cup qualification in the federation's history in June 2025. In December 2025 came the next final, this time at the FIFA Arab Cup: Jordan lost 3-2 to Morocco only after extra time. King Abdullah II granted Sellami Jordanian citizenship afterwards.
The qualifying route shows the pattern: a sticky start to the third round (three draws, home defeat to South Korea), then stabilisation — and on the penultimate matchday a 3-0 win in Oman that sealed qualification. All three goals that night came from Ali Olwan.
System: low block, direct play, set pieces
Sellami openly cites Morocco's 2022 model. The base shape is usually a 4-2-3-1 that becomes a 4-4-2 or 5-4-1 in deep phases — in the Arab Cup final Jordan defended long stretches with two banks of four. High positional discipline, closed half-spaces, full-backs who rarely push up.
With the ball it goes forward directly, almost never through long build-up phases. On the right, the frequently dropping Al-Taamari is the reference point; the left side rotates. And then there are set pieces: many Jordanian goals of the past two years came from corners and free kicks — Al-Taamari delivers, the header-strong centre-backs Yazan Al-Arab and Abdallah Nasib attack them.
The ACL crisis: Jordan's attack is a torso
In qualifying, 24 of Jordan's 31 goals came from just three players: Olwan (9), Yazan Al-Naimat (8) and Al-Taamari (7). That dependency is now the problem.
Al-Naimat — third-best active scorer in the country's history with 26 goals in 70 caps — tore his ACL in the Arab Cup quarter-final. Adham Al-Quraishi suffered the same injury in the final against Morocco. And Olwan, top scorer of the Arab Cup, was out for months from February with ankle ligament damage. The silver lining: he started Jordan's most recent friendly — a 1-4 defeat to Switzerland that showed where Jordan's current ceiling lies against European intensity.
Key players: Al-Taamari — and then a long gap
Musa Al-Taamari (28, Stade Rennes) is the only Jordanian playing consistently at a high European level and the player almost every attack is built around. Pace, dribbling, breakthroughs under pressure — at the Asian Cup he practically single-handedly settled the semi-final against South Korea (goal and assist in a 2-0). The "Jordanian Messi" nickname is marketing, but not baseless.
Behind him: the double pivot of Nizar Al-Rashdan and Noor Al-Rawabdeh for stability, keeper Yazeed Abulaila, who played all 16 qualifiers, and the robust but slow centre-back pairing Al-Arab/Nasib. Notable: almost the entire squad plays in Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Iraq — exposure to European tempo is thin.
What it means for Austria
Three things matter from an ÖFB perspective:
1. There are barely any pressing triggers. Jordan don't build up — they go long. Rangnick's pressing machine runs against a team that drains its fuel. This game is decided in possession, not in counter-pressing. Which is exactly where the injured Christoph Baumgartner is missed most.
2. The centre-backs are slow. Al-Arab and Nasib win headers but lack pace — that's why the line sits deep. Runs in behind and high-speed dribbles (Wanner, Chukwuemeka) are the tool, not high crosses into header-strong defenders.
3. Set pieces cut both ways. Jordan's most realistic route to a goal against Austria is a corner. Control the game but sleep on a set piece and you invite the underdog in.
The framing is clear: Jordan are underdogs against all three group opponents — a point against Austria or Algeria would already count as success in Amman. For Austria the opposite holds: anything but three points makes the group arithmetic brutal.
How does Austria's opener end? Predict it with your Tipprunde on tiptilldone.com — Challenge accepted?!
When does Austria play Jordan?
Wednesday June 17, 2026, 06:00 CEST — Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara (kick-off Tuesday evening local time).
How does Jordan play at World Cup 2026?
A deep 4-2-3-1 that becomes a 5-4-1 out of possession: compact, direct, dangerous from set pieces. The model is Morocco's 2022 World Cup run.
Who is Jordan's most important player?
Musa Al-Taamari (Stade Rennes). After ACL tears for Al-Naimat and Al-Quraishi and Olwan's ankle injury, almost the entire attack runs through him.
Has Jordan ever played at a World Cup before?
No — 2026 is the first finals appearance in the federation's history. In 2014 Jordan fell to Uruguay in the intercontinental play-off.
Sources
- abseits.at: Teamanalyse WM 2026 Jordanien
- Sky Sports: World Cup 2026 Group J guide
- Olympics.com: Jordan squad World Cup 2026
- Wikipedia: 2026 FIFA World Cup Group J
Updated: June 4, 2026
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