Amman – Jordan's national football team is set to travel to the Qatari capital, Doha, today to begin its final preparations for Australia, which are due to be played the day after tomorrow in the current international window. It is the only match the 'Al-Nashama' will play during the break, after the friendly against Indonesia scheduled in Amman was cancelled.
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The team's trip to Qatar follows the settlement of the decision to move the match from Amman at the request of the Australian Football Federation. Al-Nashama find themselves facing an away fixture, an important technical test against one of the continent's leading sides, who are themselves preparing for upcoming assignments, most notably the 2027 Asian Cup.
While Al-Nashama prepare to fly to Doha, the Australian team has already entered the match mood. On Friday evening it played Qatar and won 3-0, and it is now staying in the Qatari capital ahead of the meeting with the Jordanian team without having to travel between the two countries.
Comments by Australia coach Tony Popovic, and by player Riley McGree, after the Qatar match drew attention when they spoke about the match against Jordan and the decision to move it to Doha. Popovic told reporters that he did not know the reasons behind the change of venue, and said his side's focus in recent days had been on preparing for Qatar.
The Australian coach added that the two federations had formally agreed to hold the match in Qatar. He expressed his pleasure at facing a strong side in Al-Nashama, but said he could not comment on other matters related to the decision to move the game.
For his part, McGree praised the Jordanian national team, describing the upcoming match as tough and significant given Al-Nashama's history and their runners-up finish at the last Asian Cup. He said his country was looking forward to giving everything it had and achieving a positive result, as it did against Qatar.
The match is technically important for the Jordanian national team, given that the current break includes only one game. That gives the coaching staff an opportunity to benefit from the Asian test and gauge the players' readiness before the upcoming assignments, especially as Australia go into the game in high spirits after beating Qatar.
The match is scheduled for the day after tomorrow at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium at Qatar SC in Doha, at 7pm local time. Jordanian expatriates in Qatar are expected to attend in numbers, in a fixture of particular importance to both sides.
The national team's squad for the match contains 25 players: Abdullah Al-Fakhouri, Ahmad Jaaidi, Murad Al-Falouji, Yazan Al-Arab, Abdullah Naseeb "Diyara", Hadi Al-Hourani, Mohammad Abu Al-Nadi, Ahmad Abdrabbah, Ahmad Assaf, Anas Badawi, Muhannad Abu Taha, Mohammad Abu Hashish, Nour Al-Din Al-Rawabdeh, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Ibrahim Saada, Youssef Qashi, Ghaith Al-Madadha, Amer Jamous, Mohammad Abu Ghosh, Ali Azaizeh, Musa Al-Taamari, Mohammad Abu Zraiq "Sharara", Ali Alwan, Odeh Fakhouri and Mahmoud Mardi.
The last meeting between the two sides was held in Qatar's stadiums in 2022, when Australia beat the national team 2-1. Musa Al-Taamari scored Jordan's only goal in that match.
