June 2 (Reuters) - Jordan are enjoying a golden age in their football fortunes after runs to the 2023 Asian Cup and 2025 Arab Cup finals and have no intention of just making up the numbers at their first World Cup.
The Al-Nashama, or the "noble ones", have developed into a significant force in the Arab footballing world since Moroccan Jamal Sellami took over as coach in June 2024 and built on the work of his predecessor, compatriot Hussein Ammouta.
Sellami believes the team he has built can deliver a shock similar to Algeria beating Germany in 1982, Cameroon stunning reigning champions Argentina in 1990 and Senegal repeating the feat against holders France in 2002.
"These results open horizons of hope and ambition for the fans, so they can dream," Sellami, who played for Morocco at the 1998 World Cup, told Arabic sports channel TFK.
"And we too have the right to dream and to strive to be a strong team and present ourselves well.
"Right now, people are asking: 'Who are Al-Nashama? Where are they from?' So this is a chance for them to show their capabilities, to stand out in a big way."
The 55-year-old former midfielder has built a well-structured, disciplined team that utilises their wealth of creative forward talent to hit opponents on the break with a lightning-quick transition.
They will be without Yazan Al-Naimat at the tournament, however, after the dynamic forward, who scored eight goals in qualification, suffered an ACL injury in the Arab Cup quarter-finals last December.
"Yazan is a player who cannot be replaced," conceded Sellami. "But we will find a combination for the team that can still be dangerous to the opponent, and that also gives us balance in our defensive performance."
Al-Naimat's likely replacement, Ali Olwan, has recovered from an Achilles injury sufficiently to take his place in Sellami's extended squad, and skipper Musa Al-Taamari will be around to torment defenders on the right wing.
The Jordanians have been handed a tough group and will take on Austria and Algeria in San Francisco before moving on to Dallas to face reigning champions Argentina.
While familiar with the style played by Algeria, a friendly against Switzerland in late May will prepare Jordan for Austria and they will finish their warm-up schedule against Colombia in early June to get a feel for South American opposition.
Sellami believes the Austria match will be crucial to the success of Jordan's campaign - "it sets your path" - and is hoping to have garnered something from the first two games before facing Argentina.
"We hope that by then we will already have earned points, and that this match will be a step toward continuing in the World Cup," he said.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
