Jordan’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 concluded with a challenging test, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Colombia in an international friendly at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego.
Jordan fielded a squad featuring several of Jordan’s established stars, including goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila, defenders Ehsan Haddad, Abdullah Nasib, and Yazan Al-Arab, while attacking responsibilities were led by key playmaker Mousa Al-Taamari and striker Ali Olwan.
Colombia ultimately proved too strong on the day, securing a 2-0 victory and handing Jordan a defeat in their final preparation match before the World Cup.
However, the scoreline was not the primary concern for the Jordanian coaching staff.
Speaking after the match, Al-Salami emphasized that the encounter provided significant technical and tactical benefits for his squad, allowing the team to test different systems and evaluate various aspects of their game against elite-level opposition.
“We faced an excellent team and gained valuable experience from this match,” Al-Salami said.
The Moroccan coach stressed that the technical staff will now focus on correcting mistakes identified during the friendly while continuing preparations for the biggest challenge in Jordanian football history.
One of the most encouraging aspects for Jordan was emerging from the match without any injury concerns, ensuring that the squad remains fully available heading into the World Cup.
Jordan are now entering the final phase of preparations ahead of the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on 11 June.
The Middle Eastern nation has been drawn into a demanding Group J alongside football heavyweights Argentina, Algeria, and Austria.
Their World Cup campaign will begin against Austria on 17 June at Santa Clara Stadium in San Francisco, a fixture widely viewed as crucial to Jordan’s hopes of progressing beyond the group stage.
Jordan will then face Algeria on 23 June at the same venue before concluding their group campaign against world champions Argentina on 28 June in Dallas.
Credit Photo : JFA
