Jordan drawn in Group B for World Cup Round 3 qualifiers

AMMAN — Jordan was drawn in Group B alongside Kuwait, Palestine, Oman, Iraq and South Korea for Round 3 of 2026 World Cup qualifiers which will start on  September 5.

18 teams will be playing in three groups with Group A including Iran, Qatar, Uzbekistan, UAE, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea, while Group C includes Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.

The qualifiers will be played in home and away format from September 5, 2024 to June 10, 2025 with the top two from each group advancing directly to the World Cup while the rest will play another round in two groups with group leaders advancing and a possible ninth team advancing through intercontinental playoffs.

Jordan advanced to Round 3 for the second time in their history after they finished atop Group G Asian qualifiers ending Saudi Arabia’s winning streak after a 2-1 win earlier this month. 

Ahead of the draw, Jordan welcomed new Moroccan coach Jamal Sellamy, replacing compatriot Hussein Ammouta, who resigned on the weekend, citing “personal circumstances.” Reports cited his wife’s “medical condition”, while others confirmed he had taken up a lucrative contract in the UAE.

Amouta will be remembered as the coach who led Jordan to a first ever AFC Asian Cup final seeing off former Asian champs Korea and Iraq, among others, before losing to hosts Qatar in the final earlier this year. Jordan’s previous best past performance was reaching the Asian Cup quarterfinals in 2004 and 2011. 

Jordan has now booked their spot for the next edition of the 2027 Asian Cup and observers believe the squad can make it the World Cup for the first time with FIFA expanding the format to include 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 World Cup edition.   Under Ammouta, the squad’s mental edge and competitive style and strategy on the pitch has clearly shifted and expectations run high.

Since 1986, Jordan is participating in World Cup qualifiers for the 7th time. The team was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup when they advanced to play then FIFA 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie before exiting. Jordan had never reached that far in qualifying with Round 3 being the furthest they reached in other editions. 

Jordan’s U20 and U17 football team’s got relatively easy draws for their respective AFC Asian Cup qualifiers earlier this week with the U20  squad drawn in Group J alongside Qatar, Singapore and Hong Kong in qualifiers set for  September with the Asian Cup being a  qualifying tourney to the U20 World Cup. The U20 team was eliminated in Round 1 in AFC Asian Cup 1977, 1978, 2008, 2010 and 2018 editions, made it to the quarters in 2012 and 2023; missed the 2014 and 2016 editions. Jordan finished 4th in Asia in 2006 and moved to the U20 World Cup in 2007. 

On the other hand, the U17 team was drawn in Group A alongside Iran, Syria, Hong Kong, and North Korea with qualifiers  set for October while the U23 squad earlier exited the 6th U23 Asian Cup and lost the chance to play for an Olympic qualifying spot.