When Jordan face world champions Argentina in their final group stage match on 27 June, it may be their own World Cup final. But it will also be the destination after decades of dreams, changing strategies, near misses and surprising managerial appointments – including two English football stalwarts.
Jordan are one of four nations making their debut at the 2026 World Cup, with the country mad about football but lacking the success to match. Their tournament begins against Austria on Wednesday at 05:00 BST, live on the BBC, and could culminate against Lionel Messi and Argentina unless they cause a surprise by reaching the knockout stage.
“Jordan face Argentina on 27 June in their first World Cup, after decades of near misses and English coaches.”
“In my childhood, I was brought up with the fact that Jordan is a home of football talent,” Mustafa Arqawi, former communications director for the Jordan Football Association, told BBC Sport. “It was talent that I used to see every day in schoolyards, alleyways and streets. Like almost every Jordanian citizen, I grew up with an unequivocal passion and a dream for our national team to compete at the top level.”
After gaining independence from the United Kingdom following World War Two, Jordan played their first international football match in 1953 – a 3-1 defeat to Syria. They did not enter World Cup qualifying until attempting to reach the 1986 tournament, beating Qatar 1-0 at home for their first qualifying win but losing their other three matches and missing out.
Until this year, the closest Jordan came to qualifying was in 2014. They fought through the Asian Football Confederation system, with notable home wins against Japan and Australia, and reached the inter-confederation play-off against Uruguay. But it was no contest, as a Uruguay side featuring Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani swept to a 5-0 aggregate win. Jordan played 20 matches in 2014 World Cup qualifying, all for naught.
What this adventure did, however, was put Jordan on the global football map and allowed them to attract notable coaching names. In September 2014, the JFA prepared for 2018 qualifying by hiring former England captain Ray Wilkins as manager. Wilkins led Jordan to the 2015 Asian Cup, but after an exit at the group stage he was lured away by Aston Villa. This sparked turmoil, as Jordan went through three managers in less than a year. The last appointment was that of Harry Redknapp, parachuted in for the final two matches of the second-round group stage.
Now, after decades of trying, Jordan have their debut. But a date with Messi comes with an added twist: the Argentine captain has struggled with a hamstring injury in the build-up to the title defence. Whether he plays or not, for Jordan, facing the world champions will be the culmination of a long journey.