Jordan players celebrate their victory.
Doha, Qatar: When Jordan took on Kuwait in the second round of the group stage of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, it became clear to everyone that the Jordanians had every intention of continuing their impressive run of form. They put pressure on Kuwait’s goal right from kick-off and opened the scoring in the 17th minute thanks to a beautiful goal from Mohannad Abu Taha.
This strong performance dispelled any doubts about the focus of coach Jamal Sellami’s players on the pitch after the Final Draw of the FIFA World Cup 2026, demonstrating to their passionate fanbase that they are committed to winning the Arab Cup. Abdullah Nasib, one of Jordan’s standout players over the past few years, spoke to FIFA after the match and shared his thoughts on the World Cup draw and Al Nashama’s position in the Arab Cup.
“Yesterday’s draw was a huge motivator for us,” he said. “It’s amazing to have reached the World Cup. Our group is good and facing Argentina greatly motivates us as they are the defending champions. We are eager to play in the tournament, but our duty today is to stay focussed on the Arab Cup and deliver strong performances in the upcoming stages of the tournament.”
Although Jordan’s squad is brimming with experienced players, plenty of young are also proving their potential for Al Nashama. There is no doubt that Amer Jamous is one of them after the 23-year-old came on as a substitute in the previous match, coach Sellami decided to place him in his starting lineup against Kuwait, and the Al Wehdet player did not disappoint.
“It is true that yesterday the draw was on our minds, but we are now focusing on the game against Kuwait, especially as we can prepare for the World Cup after this tournament. We are very excited to face the best player in the history of football (Lionel Messi) and face the world champions. It gives us the great morale boost that we need to fight even harder. The Algerian team is also among the strongest teams in Africa, Austria is a great developing team and their coach is the distinguished Ralf Rangnick, but we remain focused on the Arab Cup.
“We gained three crucial points in the Arab Cup and all the players took the responsibility positively. We congratulate everyone – the players, the technical staff, the medics, and also our fans who stayed by our side until the last minute”.
Despite the strong performance from Jordan, Kuwait fought back valiantly and clawed a goal back, something Abdullah Nasib does not want to repeat. “We will work to stay more focused until the last minute and take advantage of our opportunities in the upcoming period”.
“No one can play for 90 minutes at the same intensity,” Amer Jamous added. “Our performance dipped slightly in the last few minutes as some of our players have played hard in two consecutive matches which has had a physical impact on them. However, do not forget that we scored a third goal at the end of the match and we secured the win, and that is what is important.”
Jordanian football is going through a golden moment. With the national side sitting top of Group C in Qatar 2025 having also reached the final of the Asian Cup 2023, as well as qualifying for the World Cup 2026.
“We are moving steadily forward and making progress,” Nasib stated. “Our success in qualifying for the World Cup has given us the boost we need to achieve even more. This is the sense that we get from the players as well as having a top-level technical team. We are also well in sync, having played together for a long time now, and we hope that good luck will be on our side over the coming period.”
For Amer, the team’s professionalism is also a major factor. “Talent has always been present in Jordan, but what has changed recently and improved our results is the great discipline within the camps, the professional mentality of the players which is constantly developing. Skill alone is not enough so focusing on the pitch is important”.
Jamous concluded by expressing his happiness with the cheerful and friendly atmosphere of the Arab fans. “The banter among Arab fans is a nice thing, it motivates us. The Kuwaiti people are our brothers and our fans also like to joke around. As players, we watch funny videos and laugh at them, but we fight for our fans so that they can be proud of their national team”.
Jordan will play their final group stage match against Egypt at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor next Tuesday with six points, before the quarter-final matches. FIFA
