Jordan vs – Jordan and Algeria meet at San Francisco Bay Stadium on Tuesday with both sides desperate to arrest losing starts in Group J. Algeria enter as Opta supercomputer favourites despite recent World Cup struggles, while Jordan—who have not won in six matches—have t
For Jordan, Tuesday at San Francisco Bay Stadium isn’t just another Group J fixture. It’s the moment the tournament debut has to start turning into points.
Jordan’s first match at the 2026 World Cup ended in a 3-1 defeat to Austria, after they were brought back on level terms for a time by Ali Olwan following Romano Schmid’s opener. But the swing back didn’t last: a Yazan Al Arab own-goal and Marko Arnautović’s penalty sealed it.
Algeria arrive with their own painful opener. Returning to the finals after 12 years away. they were overwhelmed by Argentina and Lionel Messi. whose hat-trick condemned them to a 3-0 defeat. That result matched Algeria’s joint-heaviest loss at a World Cup. tying the 3-0 they suffered against Spain in Mexico 40 years earlier.
The question now is simple and immediate: who gets their first points in Group J?
Algeria head into the match with a number of stats that will feel comforting—especially their World Cup record at the start of tournaments. They have never previously lost their opening two matches at a World Cup finals, and they are aiming to keep that pattern intact after their opening setback.
They also come in as the Opta supercomputer’s favourites. Algeria’s win probability is 60.1% based on pre-match simulations of 25,000. Jordan’s chances of taking a win are rated at 17.7%, while a draw sits at 22.2%.
But the optimism has to share space with the harder truths. Algeria have won just one of their last 11 World Cup matches (D3 L7), and their last start of the tournament doesn’t come without a warning label.
Jordan, for their part, are dealing with their own slump. They have been without a win in their last six matches in all competitions (D2 L4). That mirrors the wider stretch of form they’ve carried into the World Cup. suffering as many defeats in their previous 13 games as they did in the run-up (W7 D2).
Still, Jordan’s opening performance against Austria offered reasons not to panic too early. They held their own for 75 minutes and produced numbers that suggest the quality is there even when the results haven’t followed.
Jordan won 52.7% of the duels against Austria, and they delivered a higher passing accuracy in the final third than Austria did (70.2% to 68.6%). They also matched Austria for shots (11) and matched them for attempts on target (4).
They were aggressive in attack too. Jordan completed 15 dribbles. the most by any side in their first-ever World Cup match since Ivory Coast recorded 17 against Argentina in 2006. Their dribble success rate was 62.5%—15 out of 24—also the highest by any side to complete 15 on debut since Iraq against Paraguay in 1986 (65.2%—15 of 23).
Algeria’s tournament story includes their own flashes that are harder to ignore. In their match against Argentina. Aïssa Mandi made history by becoming the first African player on record to complete 100 or more passes in a World Cup match (since 1966). He completed 100 of the 105 he attempted (95.2%).
And Algeria’s attacking threat is tied to Farès Chaïbi. During the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year, he recorded the most shots for the Fennecs with eight. In the matchday one game against Argentina, Chaïbi was involved in four of Algeria’s seven attempts—three taken and one created.
Jordan will need to find a way to limit that influence if they want to move beyond the feeling of opening-match damage.
There’s also a key psychological layer for Algeria: even after the Messi-heavy blow. they’re still able to lean on the fact that they have never lost both of their first two World Cup matches at finals. For Jordan, the stakes are different. Their display against Austria showed fight. but their schedule now demands results—because Argentina await in their final Group J match.
When Jordan’s first hurdle is already behind them, the second becomes non-negotiable if they want to extend their long-awaited debut beyond the opening phase.
The history between the nations has its own texture. This meeting will be the fourth between Jordan and Algeria, and the first since they played a friendly in May 2004. That match ended 1-1 in Annaba: Abdelmalek Cherrad scored on the hour mark to cancel out Mahmoud Shelbaieh’s first-half effort.
Before that, the previous two encounters took place in the Arab Cup. Algeria were dominant in Damascus in October 1974, winning 6-0, but Jordan later avenged that defeat by prevailing 2-1 in Amman 14 years later.
Jordan vs Algeria isn’t just about who is “on top” in the numbers. The duel is between momentum and pressure—between Algeria trying to avoid a second straight opening loss and Jordan trying to finally turn their competitiveness into points.
Jordan vs Algeria Squads
Jordan: Yazeed Abulaila. Nour Bani Ateyah. Abdallah Al Fakhori. Mohammad Abu Hasheesh. Abdallah Nasib. Husam Abu Dahab. Yazan Al Arab. Mohammad Abu Al Nadi. Saleem Obaid. Mohammad Abu Ghoush. Saed Al Rosan. Mohannad Abu Taha. Ehsan Haddad. Anas Badawi. Amer Jamous. Noor Al Rawabdeh. Raja’ei Ayed. Ibrahim Sadeh. Nizar Al Rashdan. Mohammad Al Daoud. Mohammad Abu Zraiq. Ali Olwan. Mousa Al Tamari. Odeh Fakhoury. Mahmoud Al Mardi. Ali Azaizeh.
Algeria: Melvin Mastil. Oussama Benbot. Luca Zidane. Aïssa Mandi. Achref Abada. Mohamed Amine Tougai. Zineddine Belaïd. Jaouen Hadjam. Rayan Aït-Nouri. Rafik Belghali. Ramy Bensebaini. Samir Chergui. Ramiz Zerrouki. Houssem Aouar. Farès Chaïbi. Hicham Boudaoui. Nabil Bentaleb. Ibrahim Maza. Yacine Titraoui. Riyad Mahrez. Amine Gouiri. Anis Hadj Moussa. Nadhir Benbouali. Mohammed Amoura. Adil Boulbina. Farès Ghedjemis.
Jordan vs Algeria 2026 World Cup Group J San Francisco Bay Stadium Ali Olwan Farès Chaïbi Aïssa Mandi Lionel Messi Opta supercomputer Mahmoud Shelbaieh Abdelmalek Cherrad