Jordan can maintain their second-place standing in the third round of World Cup 2026 qualifying when they head to Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium for a date with Kuwait on Tuesday.
The reigning Asian Cup runners-up are second in Group B on goal difference after playing to a 0-0 draw with Iraq on Thursday, while Kuwait are winless at this stage of qualifying, losing 3-1 to South Korea last time out.
Match preview
Halfway through the third round of qualification, Kuwait have some ground to make up, currently five points behind Jordan for an automatic berth in the 2026 finals.
Juan Antonio Pizzi's men have yet to earn a victory at this stage of the qualification cycle, going winless in five consecutive fixtures.
At the same time, they are just three points below Oman for a top-four position, which would advance them into the fourth round of qualifying and maintain their hopes of making the World Cup for the first time since 1982.
Al-Azraq have found the back of the net just once in their two third-round home matches, with their last victory in Kuwait occurring against Afghanistan in June (1-0).
This is their first appearance in the third round of World Cup qualification since the 2014 cycle, while they have not made the final stage of qualifying since the 1998 cycle.
The last time they won a third-round qualifying fixture was in November 2011, when they came from behind to defeat the United Arab Emirates 2-1.
Appearing in the third round of qualification for the first time since the 2014 campaign, Jordan have done just enough to get by and remain in a top-two position.
Jamal Sellami's men have posted consecutive clean sheets in this round, earning at least a point in four of their five matches played.
They have yet to lose an away match in qualifying, finishing first above Saudi Arabia in round two while claiming four points from two games as the visitors in round three.
Since their defeat in the final of the Asian Cup in February against Qatar (3-1), this team have suffered just one defeat in 11 matches across all competitions (2-0 versus South Korea).
During the 2026 qualification period, Jordan have collected four points when conceding the opening goal and are undefeated after drawing first blood.
In their last seven meetings with Kuwait across all competitions, the Jordanians have only claimed one victory (3-0 in 2022) but are unbeaten against them over that stretch.
Team News
Only four players who began the Kuwait fixture with Palestine kept their place in the starting 11 on matchday five, Khalid El Ebrahim, Meshari Ghanem, Redha Abujabarah and Salman Al-Awadhi.
El Ebrahim reached the half-century mark for caps with the national team on Thursday, while Khaled Al-Kharqawi, Montaser Al-Abdulsalam, Nasser Khader and Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli are all seeking their first appearances internationally.
Mohammad Daham's 60th-minute strike against the Koreans last week proved to be a mere consolation, his fourth for the senior side.
Two new faces were in the Jordan starting 11 from matchday four to five of qualifying, with Rajaei Ayed and Mousa Al-Tamari replacing Noor Al-Rawabdeh and Mahmoud Al-Mardi.
Al-Tamari is level on goals with Yazan Al-Naimat, each netting 22 times for the national team, good for fourth all-time, while Ali Olwan will equal Abdallah Deeb for eighth should he find the back of the net in this upcoming fixture.
Yazeed Abulaila only had to make two stops in their match against Iraq for his second successive clean sheet between the sticks.
Kuwait possible starting lineup:
Al-Rashidi; Al-Sanea, H. Al-Enezi, El Ebrahim, Ghanem; S. El-Enezi, Abdujabarah, Zayid, Al-Dhefiri; Daham, Khalaf
Jordan possible starting lineup:
Abulaila; Nasib, Al-Arab, Abualnadi; Haddad, Sadeh, Al-Rashdan, Al-Mardi; Al-Tamari, Al-Naimat, Olwan
We say: Kuwait 0-0 Jordan
Four of the last five matches between these two ended in a draw, and Jordan have not always had a killer instinct lately, which is why we project a defensive stalemate.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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