World Cup 2026: The Remaining Hopes of the Arab Representatives

According to a VNA correspondent in the Middle East, despite leaving the tournament early, their first appearance at the world's biggest football event is still considered a memorable milestone for Jordanian football.

Speaking after the match, coach Jamal Sellami expressed pride in his players' performance, while also stating that a lack of World Cup experience was one of the reasons the team could not advance further.

Coach Sellami emphasized: "Overall, we played a good match and can be proud of what we have shown. This is Jordan's first World Cup, and the team has improved significantly compared to the opening game. The upcoming clash with Argentina is an opportunity for us to leave a beautiful mark for Jordanian football."

In the match against Algeria, Jordan once sparked hope when midfielder Nizar Al-Rashdan opened the scoring in the first half. However, the North African side fought back strongly after the break with goals from Nadhir Benbouali and Amine Gouiri, completing a comeback and winning 2-1.

Jordan's qualification for the 2026 World Cup was once seen as one of the most inspiring stories of the qualifiers. In June 2025, the team participated in the world football festival for the first time in history, becoming one of four newcomers to the expanded 48-team tournament, alongside Uzbekistan, Curaçao, and Cape Verde.

Drawn in a tough group featuring Argentina, Austria, and Algeria, Jordan faced a major challenge from the start. After a 1-3 loss to Austria in the opener and the defeat to Algeria, the West Asian team officially exited. Nevertheless, scoring their first goals in World Cup history remains a proud achievement for "Nashama."

Jordan's departure also reduces the number of remaining Arab representatives in the tournament. The 2026 World Cup marks the first time that eight Arab teams have qualified for the finals: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

Among them, Tunisia became the first Arab team to be eliminated after two heavy defeats to Sweden and Japan. Qatar also faces a high risk of an early exit following a draw with Switzerland and a 0-6 loss to Canada. Iraq has not yet earned any points after losses to Norway and France.

On the other hand, many Arab representatives still maintain their chances of advancing deep. Morocco currently sits second in Group C with 4 points after a draw with Brazil and a win over Scotland. If they beat Haiti in the final match, the team that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup will secure a spot in the next round.

Egypt leads Group G after a historic 3-1 victory over New Zealand, their first win in World Cup history. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia still has a chance to compete in Group H if they overcome Cape Verde in the decisive match.

Notably, Algeria has made a strong comeback after their defeat to Argentina, winning against Jordan, and will now face a crucial showdown with Austria for a place in the knockout stage.

Under the new format of the 2026 World Cup, not only the top two teams from each group but also the eight best third-placed teams advance. This means the Arab teams still have plenty of opportunities to continue their stories on North American soil, even though Jordan's historic journey ended earlier than expected.