Jordan Reach the World Cup for the First Time: Sellami Names 30, Olwan Lit Up Qualifying With Nine Goals
Head coach Jamal Sellami has named Jordan's 30-man provisional pool for their first World Cup. Captain Ehsan Haddad leads, Mousa Al Tamari brings the most attacking name and Ali Olwan finished AFC qualifying as joint third top scorer with nine goals, including a hat-trick in the final qualifier. Group J: Austria, Algeria, Argentina.
J ordan are at a World Cup for the first time in their history. Four decades of near misses end with a 30-man provisional pool named by head coach Jamal Sellami, two and a half years after the country finished runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup. The squad will be cut to 26 before the June 1 deadline; the names below are the ones now in the frame to travel.
Sellami's call: emulate Morocco
Sellami, born in Morocco, has cited the Atlas Lions' run to the semi-finals at Qatar 2022 as the model he is asking his squad to copy. The link is more than rhetorical, Jordan's tournament path runs through a group of mixed firepower in which momentum could decide the second qualifying spot. Captain Ehsan Haddad will lead from the back, anchoring a 13-man defensive group built around Yazan Al Arab.
Olwan, Al Tamari and the attacking core
Forward Ali Olwan is the headline name in attack. The 26-year-old finished AFC World Cup qualifying as the joint third top scorer with nine goals, including a hat-trick in Jordan's final qualifier. Winger Mousa Al Tamari, nicknamed "Jordan's Messi", carries the side's most-recognised attacking profile abroad. Defensive midfielder Nizar Al Rashdan completes the central spine, with Yazan Al Arab as the senior centre-back option.
Group J fixtures
Jordan open against Austria on June 16 in Santa Clara, face Algeria on June 22 in Santa Clara and close the group against reigning world champions Argentina on June 27 in Arlington. The Argentina match has been billed as potentially the biggest in the country's football history. Sellami's practical target sits in the first two matches: a result against a returning-to-the-stage Austria or a balanced Algeria would put the debut on a competitive footing before the matchday-three meeting with the holders.