Jordan

You'd be forgiven for thinking of Jordan's run to the final of the 2023 Asian Cup as a lightning-in-a-bottle phenomenon - but a subsequent World Cup qualifying campaign in which they breezed through two group stages and held their own against the likes of South Korea and Saudi Arabia should indicate that there is something more sustainable to this iteration of Al Nashama. Manager Jamal Sellami took over right after the Asian Cup, but has largely kept to the 3-4-3 possession / 5-4-1 out of possession shape used by his predecessor in Hussein Ammouta.

Sellami's Jordan are compact in defense and primed to counterattack, with wingbacks and attackers both capable as touchline receivers and progressors. They will unfortunately be without their Asian Cup top scorer Yazan Al-Naimat due to an ACL injury, so the striker role has fallen to Ali Olwan. Olwan's previous spot on the left side of the front three has most often been occupied by Mahmoud Al-Mardi, but the ascendance of Odeh Al-Fakhouri could see Al-Mardi return to a utility wingback / winger role. Musa Al-Taamari is the squad's most important attacker and his inverted position on the right side of this trio is set in stone. The places behind the front three are relatively uncontroversial, especially with regular right wing-back and captain Ihsan Haddad recovered from a nearly year-long absence due to an Achilles injury.