Jamal Salami Discusses Jordan's World Cup Qualification Challenges
National coach Jamal Salami praised the Jordanian national team's decisive 4-0 victory over Oman in the fourth round of Asia's World Cup qualifying matches, viewing it as a crucial start for the "Nashama" in their qualification campaign. This win allowed Jordan to secure second place in their group, ahead of Iraq on goal difference and only three points behind the leaders from Korea.
In an interview with FIFA's official website, Salami highlighted the importance of maintaining high performance after such a successful match and noted the team's ideal execution against Oman.
Discussing Jordan's impressive performance, Salami attributed it to correcting previous mistakes from their loss to Korea (2-0) and overcoming physical fatigue and attacking absences. He emphasized that the players learned from their prior experience and enhanced their gameplay through solid preparations and analysis of Oman's performance.
Salami acknowledged the impact of missing player Mousa Al-Tamari but expressed optimism as the team’s collective effort compensated for his absence. He believes Al-Tamari will recover soon and be ready for the upcoming match against Iraq.
Regarding the challenge of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, Salami stated, "We dream and aspire to qualify; every team member, from officials to fans, wants this achievement." He recognized the difficulty of this task as Jordan has never reached the World Cup, highlighting the road ahead will be fraught with challenges.
The next critical match for Jordan is against Iraq on November 14 at Basra International Stadium, which will significantly shape their path towards qualification.
