World Cup 2026: Ali Alwan and the Dream of Making History with Jordan

According to a TTXVN correspondent in the Middle East, the Jordanian national team will play their first match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Austria on June 17. The Middle Eastern side aims not only to make an impression in their opening game but also harbors ambitions of advancing past the group stage, facing next opponents Algeria and defending champions Argentina.

Under the guidance of coach Jamal Al-Salami, Jordan is intensifying training sessions to address weaknesses exposed in two recent friendlies, where they lost 1-4 to Switzerland and 0-2 to Colombia.

In this context, all attention is focused on striker Ali Alwan, who is expected to be the spearhead of Jordan's frontline at the world's biggest football event.

Jordan will be without their top star Yazan Al-Naimat and young talent Ibrahim Sabra due to injuries. This places the goal-scoring responsibility squarely on Ali Alwan's shoulders.

Although his specialty is playing on the wing or behind the main striker, Alwan is likely to be deployed as the highest forward in Jordan's attack at the 2026 World Cup. This is not an unfamiliar role for him, as he has taken on similar duties for his club Al-Jazira and in several matches for Jordan during the 2025 Arab Cup. However, Alwan is still working to regain peak fitness after an injury. For this reason, coach Al-Salami has given him significant playing time in recent friendlies to help the striker rediscover his touch and build the necessary physical foundation.

His international experience and desire to shine on the World Cup stage are expected to help Alwan quickly reach his best condition before the tournament begins. Beyond leading the attack, Ali Alwan has a personal ambition at the 2026 World Cup: to become the first goal scorer and the most prolific striker in Jordan's World Cup history.

The striker, who currently plays for Al-Sailiya, enters the tournament with an impressive scoring record. He won the Arab Cup Golden Boot with six goals and was Jordan's top scorer in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with nine goals, one more than his teammate Yazan Al-Naimat.

As the only out-and-out center forward left in the current squad, Alwan is almost certain to receive regular playing time. This gives him a great opportunity to score Jordan's first ever World Cup goal.

Just one goal would see Ali Alwan etch his name into Jordanian football history as the first player to score for the national team at the world's most prestigious tournament. That is the biggest motivation for the 25-year-old striker as he looks ahead to a historic World Cup for Jordanian football.