What: 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier
When: Thursday, March 20th
Where: Amman, Jordan | Amman International Stadium
Kickoff: 20:15 Jerusalem Time
TV/Streaming: Subscribe to Football Palestine on Substack to receive a streaming link to your inbox one hour before kickoff.
Previous Encounters
14.10.1976| Palestine 2:1 Jordan| 1976 Pan Arab Games*
06.06.1997| Palestine 0:0 Jordan| Friendly*
26.07|1998| Palestine 1:1 Jordan| 1998 Arab Cup
18.08.1998| Jordan 2:0 Palestine| 1999 Pan Arab Games
29.08.1999| Jordan 4:1 Palestine| 1999 Pan Arab Games
04.04.2000| Jordan 5:1 Palestine| 2000 Asian Cup Qualifying
16.12.2002| Palestine 1:1 Jordan| 2002 Arab Cup
17.06.2004| Palestine 1:1 Jordan| 2004 WAFF Championship
26.10.2008| Palestine 1:1 Jordan| Friendly
11.12.2011| Palestine 1:4 Jordan| 2011 Pan Arab Games*
06.08.2013| Jordan 4:1 Palestine| Friendly*
16.01.2015| Palestine 1:5 Jordan| 2015 Asian Cup
15.01.2019| Palestine 0:0 Jordan| 2019 Asian Cup
07.12.2021| Palestine 1:5 Jordan| 2021 Arab Cup
10.09.2024| Palestine 1:3 Jordan| 2026 World Cup Qualifying
*Denotes unofficial match
Jordan look to keep pace
The narrative around Palestine’s first of match in the March window is all about the opponents. Two points separate Iraq and Jordan with the latter knowing full well that they can ill afford to drop more points before facing the Lions of Mesopotamia in Amman on the final match day.
Al-Nashama’s only loss across the first six qualifiers came at home to Korea Republic back in October. The issue for the Jordanians are the four points dropped against Kuwait.
If the formula to qualify involves drawing away and winning at home then Jordan are three points behind the pace. Anything but a win against Palestine would leave them searching for results elsewhere with an arduous trip to Seoul and a difficult match against Korea Republic lying in wait.
Jordan last lost to Palestine at the 1976 Pan Arab Games. In the 11 official matches that have brought the neighbors together since, Jordan has emerged victorious on six occasions. Jamal Sellami will be hoping to tap into that confidence whilst avoiding any complacency.
Dual Nationals
Reams of online paper were used to discuss the fate of a man who will be in Cardiff on Thursday night. Yousef Salech was supposed to be the latest of a string of Scandinavian born talents to play for Palestine. That was until December when the striker traveled to Jordan with his agent and posted all about it on Instagram.
For the last three months, Yousef Salech was the name on every Jordanian fan’s lips. Countless pages broke exclusive news as to his impending arrival. The striker’s tenuous connection to the country was overlooked and when he completed a transfer to Cardiff City of the English championship the hype went into overdrive.
Then something funny happened. Salech started flirting with the Polish national team (he is eligible to play for Poland through his mother). Whether Salech will play for Denmark, Jordan, Palestine or Poland remains an open question. The striker has picked up where he left off with Sirius and already has five goals to his name in just 12 appearances in the English Championship.
In spite of Salech’s absence there is plenty of intrigue around other dual nationals who are part of both squads. Jordan had to make due with a pair of lower profile players- Mohammed Al-Naser (HB Køge/DEN) and Ahmed Assaf (Rummelage/LUX). The duo are part of an effort by Sellami to reinvigorate the side with new blood. Nine of the 26 players in the squad do not have a single cap to their name. Over half the squad has been capped less than ten times.
Palestine have also taken advantage of the break in international play to recruit players from the diaspora. Assad Al-Hamlawi (Slask Wroclaw/POL) joins a formidable stable of attackers and celebrated his first call up to the national team by scoring in three straight games for his club.
Adam Kaied of Eredivisie side NAC Breda gives Palestine the type of player they have been lacking in attack- a fast winger who can exploit the transition.
Of the two sides, Palestine can be a lot happier with their recruitment over the winter months. In fact, Palestine has so much attacking talent that Ehab Abu Jazar has left Moustafa Zeidan (Rosenborg/NOR) and Omar Faraj (Degerfors/SWE) at home.
Injury concerns for Jordan
For those who have been following Al-Nashama over the past two decades on thing becomes abundantly clear- Jordan’s ultimate strength is the team’s chemistry. The team has bonafide stars but the unit is what allows the country to continuously punch above its weight.
That familiarity does come at a considerable cost- depth. As mentioned above, the team has few experienced options on the bench. Those with experience have been cast away and while Jordan has shown that it can survive an injury to a key player. It remains to be seen what could happen if multiple starters are forced out of the lineup.
That could be the case on Thursday night as Ali Olwan has already pulled out of the squad. Midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh has been out since October with a long-term injury. The team’s talisman Musa Al-Tamari was held out of action for Rennes over the weekend with a minor hamstring strain. Jordan’s fastest defender- Abdullah Nassib also missed the team’s closed door friendly against DPR Korea.
If either of the latter two cannot recover in time it would be a major test of Jordan’s depth with untested options waiting in the wings.
Palestine ring in the changes
Ehab Abu Jazar is set to make his managerial debut on Thursday with very little margin for error. When the appointment was announced back in December much was made of his record against Jordan at Olympic level. The two sides met a half a dozen times with all the encounters ending in draws- that includes the lone official match- a 2022 U23 Asian Cup qualifier that ended in a 1-1 draw.
Amongst the 26 players that have been called up there are several that have experience playing under Abu Jazar. That list includes Badr Moussa, Khaled Al-Nabris, Hamed Hemdan, Ameed Sawafta, and Mahdi Assi. Five of those players were not part of the last squad called in by Makram Daboub.
Tactical changes will be necessary for Palestine should they wish to get anything from this game. While bad luck has marred Palestine over the first six match days there has been a reluctance to depart from Plan A on the part of the previous regime.
Palestine’s game plan under Daboub worked wonders against Korea Republic but was not what was needed against the rest of the field of play. Back in September, after securing a 0-0 draw in Seoul on MD1 Daboub made only two changes- both foisted upon him by injury- to his lineup to face Jordan.
To make matters worse, the aggressive high line was exploited time and again by Jordan who led for a whopping 71 minutes. That lead allowed Jordan to play their game- giving up possession to focus on blistering counterattacks.
Previewing Jordan, Iraq WCQs with Omar Barakat
If Palestine are to have any success Ehab Abu Jazar will need to change the approach completely. Jordan have shown an inability to win matches whilst possessing the ball and the key to victory might lie in giving Jordan a taste of their own medicine.
Abu Jazar will look to some familiar faces in order to deliver a result. Wajdi Nabhan, his former captain with the Olympic Team, will most likely start at left back. In the absence of Odai Kharoub and Amid Mahajna look for Mohammed Rashid to partner Ataa Jaber in midfield. The industrious pair of Tamer Seyam and Zaid Qunbar will likely start before making way to faster and more direct players like Badr Moussa and Adam Kaied.
The only wild card s who will partner Michel Termanini in defence. Mohammed Saleh and Yaser Hamed are the likely options but don’t count out one surprise pick- Hamed Hemdan started at CB for Petrojet in their last league game. The midfielder is left footed which could help Palestine more effectively build and switch play from the rearguard.
Will Form Matter?
A brief reading of results shows a pattern. This official fixture either ends in a draw (five occasions) or a Jordan victory by at least two goal margin (six occasions).
Palestine have not beaten Jordan since 1976. The question is- Does the historical record matter to a squad whose reality is so different from the generations that came before them?
The four month stoppage might just work in Palestine’s favor. Whatever momentum Jordan had is now a thing of the past. That is not to say that they are rudderless; but if you are playing well and collecting points the last thing you want is to stop playing.
The Jordanian league stopped in the first week of December and went on hiatus of two months. A handful of matches were played since the league returned in February before the league was stopped again for the national team training camp.
Yes, Jordan managed to arrange four friendlies- a double header against Zenit St. Petersburg, Uzbekistan, and most recently played out a 1-1 draw against DPR Korea- but is that a true substitute for real life game action?
Jordan can ill afford another slow start to the window. Al-Nashama have been dire in the first games of each international break collecting a meager two points on MD1, MD3, and MD5 but a whopping 7/9 points in the second games of the window.
Things could not be more different for Palestine. The first half of Round 3 was marked by a slew of players without a club or not playing for their clubs. Even the ever reliable Oday Dabbagh was not getting consistent minutes in Belgium. Those issues which plagued Palestine the last time the two teams met have been resolved.
Rami Hamadi, Yaser Hamed, Michel Termanini, and Ataa Jaber are all based in Qatar now. Hamadi and Jaber in particular have been in fantastic form. The same goes for the contingent of players based in Libya. The league’s winter start meant that players arrived to the national team lacking match fitness. That reality was only exacerbated by Daboub’s insistence on fielding Jonathan who has been a part-time footballer for much of the past five years.
Coming into MD7, Palestinian players are in fantastic form for their respective clubs. Hamed Hamdan and Badr Moussa led the newly promoted Petrojet to safety in Egypt. Khaled Al-Nabris, Assad Al-Hamlawi, Mohammed Saleh, Oday Dabbagh, Ataa Jaber, Tamer Seyam, and Zaid Qunbar scored in their last or penultimate games for their clubs before joining the national team.
Palestine will be hoping that momentum continues Thursday night. A win would resuscitate a flailing campaign and throw Group B wide open.
