Jordan's national football team continues to diversify its friendly match schedule, this time turning to face Venezuela, a new addition to the list of South American teams it has faced, a sign of the expanding pool of international tests for the Nashama.
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The Football Association has revealed the national team's upcoming friendly matches ahead of its participation in the Asian Cup finals early next year, with the team set to face three Asian teams in September and November: Syria, Indonesia, and Australia, respectively.
The Venezuela match comes as part of the national team's preparations for upcoming competitions, offering a technically valuable test given the difference between the Latin American footballing school and the teams Jordan typically faces in Asia, giving the technical staff a chance to assess the players' readiness against a different style of play.
Venezuela joins the list of Latin American teams Jordan has faced, spanning different footballing schools, reflecting the technical staff's and Football Association's commitment to providing varied experiences during international breaks.
The match will mark the first-ever meeting between Jordan and Venezuela, the seventh Latin American opponent the Nashama have faced. Jordan has previously played 6 South American national teams, most recently Argentina at the last World Cup, alongside Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Venezuela currently sits 47th in FIFA's latest world rankings, and is the only Latin American national team that has never qualified for a World Cup throughout history, while Jordan sits 73rd.
Meanwhile, Jordan is set to resume its matches against Syria after an absence of roughly 4 years, making the upcoming meeting the longest gap between the two national teams during this century, having historically played each other over shorter intervals.
The Jordan-Syria match carries a special significance the two national teams are accustomed to, given their geographic proximity and frequent rivalry, though recent years saw a notable absence of this fixture before it returns to the forefront as part of the Nashama's preparation schedule.
Combining the Venezuela and Syria matches gives the national team a chance to face two very different tests: the first against a Latin American footballing school far removed from Asian calculations, and the second against a team the Nashama know well, but which returns to the schedule after the longest gap between the two sides this century.
Fans are hoping these matches mark an important step in preparing the national team for the upcoming period, especially given the importance of reaching peak readiness through exposure to teams of varying styles and levels.
All of the national team's matches will be held in Amman under new Moroccan coach Badou Zaki, with King Abdullah II Stadium in Al-Quwaismeh hosting the Syria and Venezuela matches, while the Australia and Indonesia matches will be held at Amman International Stadium.
The national team's roster for the upcoming gathering will feature a good number of players who haven't previously represented the team, given the absence of several players due to injury, while a number of other players have stood out in the new season's opening matches, under the watch of Zaki, who has followed a large number of matches.
Jordan was drawn into Group B of the Asian Cup finals (Saudi Arabia 2027), alongside Uzbekistan, Bahrain, and North Korea, with the Nashama entering the tournament aiming to compete for the title after finishing runners-up in the previous edition (Qatar 2023), losing 1-3 to hosts Qatar in the final.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Muhannad Jweiles
