Amman, June 22 (Petra) — Jordan head coach Jamal Sallami has
described the national team’s FIFA World Cup 2026 encounter against
Algeria as a defining match in the Nashama’s campaign, expressing
confidence that his players are ready to produce a positive result to
boost their qualification hopes.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference in San Francisco late
Sunday, Sallami said Jordan had overcome the pressure and
inexperience that affected the team’s performance in its World Cup
debut against Austria.

He acknowledged that the opening match was influenced by the players’
lack of World Cup experience and the pressure of making their first
appearance on football’s biggest stage, adding that the squad had
drawn valuable lessons from the defeat.

Sallami said Algeria would provide another stern challenge,
describing the North African side as a team with considerable quality
while noting that Jordan had identified areas it could exploit.

He expressed hope that the Nashama would display greater attacking
efficiency and improved defensive organization in Tuesday’s Group J
encounter.

The Jordan coach attributed the loss to Austria to early nerves and a
lack of attacking effectiveness, stressing that the technical staff
had focused on addressing both issues during preparations for the
second group-stage match.

“We learned a great deal from the Austria match. Algeria are a strong
team, and we hope to demonstrate our strengths against them,” Sallami
said, adding that victory would significantly strengthen the winning
team’s prospects of advancing to the knockout stage.

Jordan defender Yazan Al-Arab said the players are fully prepared for
the challenge ahead and remain highly focused ahead of the crucial
fixture.

He added that the result against Austria did not accurately reflect
Jordan’s overall performance, expressing confidence that the team
still has much more to offer during its historic World Cup campaign.

The press conference came as part of Jordan’s final preparations for
its second Group J match at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The Nashama will
face Algeria on Tuesday, June 23, at San Francisco Bay Arena in the
United States.

Jordan opened its maiden World Cup campaign with a 3-1 defeat to
Austria, while Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0. Jordan currently sits
third in Group J, which also includes Argentina, Algeria and Austria.

//Petra// RZ