SOCCER: Jordan dream of Morocco-style run as World Cup debut nears

Jordan head coach Jamal Sellami has urged his players to draw inspiration from Morocco’s shock run to the World Cup semi-finals four years ago as the team prepares for its first appearance at football’s biggest stage in North America.

Jordan will face Austria, Algeria, and Argentina in Group J at the World Cup, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, and are holding their final training camp this week in Antalya, Turkey. Media access to the sessions has been limited as the team fine-tunes tactics.

Some players admitted they can barely sleep in anticipation of the tournament, but Sellami said Morocco’s 2018 achievement provides belief. “In big competitions, many teams can surprise. My country Morocco reached the semi-finals in the last World Cup. That gives us belief,” he said.

Ahead of the World Cup, Jordan will also face Costa Rica on Friday and Nigeria on Tuesday in a four-team regional tournament that includes Iran. The event was moved from Jordan to Turkey due to the war in the Middle East.

“Of course we feel sad about what is happening. I hope there will be peace,” midfielder Noor Al-Rawabdeh said. “But this is football — we moved here and we need to adapt. In the World Cup, you face the unknown, so we must be ready for everything.”

Despite being underdogs, Jordan’s players are determined to compete with ambition. “We are not going just for participation,” Al-Rawabdeh added. “We are aiming to go as far as we can in the tournament. To be honest, sometimes we don’t sleep when we think about it. It’s a dream come true for us.”

Jordan earned an automatic World Cup berth after finishing second behind South Korea in their Asian qualifying group. Defender Mohammad Abu Alnadi said the team was thrilled to play on football’s biggest stage.

“It’s truly amazing. All of us are excited. It’s one of the highest levels any player can play,” he said. “We want to go as far as possible — like any other team — and make history again.”

Sellami said the Antalya camp was crucial in building experience against elite opposition. “We are preparing step by step. We’ve played against different football cultures. We are collecting experience and, Inshallah (God willing), we will surprise many people.”

-Reporting by Ece Toksabay, Umit Bektas, and Mert Ozkan; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Peter Rutherford/Reuters