Goals from Nadhir Benbouali and Amine Gouiri secured a comeback win for Algeria, in the process eliminating Jordan.
Jordan 1-2 Algeria
Jordan goal: Al Rashdan (36) Algeria goals: Benbouali (69), Gouiri (82)
Algeria came from behind to defeat Jordan 2-1 and keep alive their hopes of a place in the next round at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, in the process ending debutant Jordan’s campaign after two games.
Both teams were desperate for a positive result at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium after tasting defeat in their opening matches, and while neither was able to carve out any clear opportunities in the opening exchanges it was Algeria who were the more proactive side.
Jordan maintained their concentration impressively though, and it was instead Jamal Sellami’s men who broke the deadlock in the 36th minute.
Mousa Al Tamari miscued and sliced the ball across the penalty area into the path of Nizar Al Rashdan, and he made a far cleaner connection on his effort to sweep home with the outside of his right boot.
It was now Algeria’s turn to stay composed, and after pinning Jordan back for a prolonged spell after the restart, Nadhir Benbouali headed them level from a 69th minute corner.
Amine Gouiri then completed the turnaround with eight minutes remaining, tucking in from close range after the ball fell to him at another corner.
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Group J
|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | TCS | Pts | Form | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 Argentina
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | -2 | 6 |
–
–
–
|
|
| 2 |
 Austria
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | -3 | 3 |
–
–
–
|
|
| 3 |
 Algeria
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | -1 | 3 |
–
–
–
|
|
| 4 |
 Jordan
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | -1 | 0 |
–
–
–
|
|
Key stat
Algeria have now kept only one clean sheet in 15 FIFA World Cup matches. That came in the 0-0 draw against England in 2010.
Superior Player of the Match
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)
What they said…
“It was a very hard game. They were leading 1-0 but we had the upper hand the whole game, that was my feeling. At half time we spoke that now we have to do even more, but we have to be patient still as we had the ball nearly the whole time. Then we scored two nice goals and won the game. We are very happy. I think these three points will help us in the next game, will motivate us a lot. We have confidence now to go to the next game.” Ibrahim Maza, Algeria forward
“We know it’s very tough to play against such a defensive block. We gave it our all, tried everything, and were rewarded with two set pieces that we had practiced. We wanted to put that loss to Argentina behind us. I am really proud of the team. When you win a World Cup match, you have to appreciate it.” Aissa Mandi, Algeria defender
