Pressing his hands to the grass, Mohammad Abu Zrayq exhales deeply and bows his head towards the turf below. Scattered across the pitch of Muscat’s Sultan Qaboos Stadium, all those wearing white do exactly the same – a spontaneous celebration after Jordan’s historic 3-0 victory over Oman in June 2025 that secured the nation’s first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification.
Abu Zrayq – better known to friends and football fans alike as ‘Sharara’ (‘Spark’ in Arabic) – makes an immediate beeline for his team-mates, the magnitude of the historic achievement slowly sinking in. And now, a smiling Sharara, dressed head to toe in the green training kit of his club, Morocco’s Raja Casablanca, sits down to speak with MOJEH Men. The 28-year-old winger moved to Morocco in January, joining one of Africa’s biggest clubs – it was an exciting start to what may be the defining year of his career, with the FIFA World Cup this summer the inevitable highlight.
“It’s hard to describe,” Sharara says, thinking back to the moment Jordan’s World Cup qualification was confirmed. “There was a strange feeling inside all of us. You grow up just watching World Cups, seeing the world’s best teams and players on TV. Then suddenly, you realise that as a Jordanian player, you’re going to be there yourself, playing against the world’s top stars. I hope many Jordanian players get to experience this.”
For now, that privilege belongs to a golden generation of players that has steadily pushed Jordanian football into uncharted territory. In January 2024, the No 7 and his team-mates reached the AFC Asian Cup final for the first time – beating pre-tournament favourites South Korea in the semi-final before succumbing to hosts Qatar. “Confidence is everything in football,” Sharara explains. “When confidence grows, your performance improves. Reaching the Asian Cup final was a turning point. Our value increased in the eyes of the other teams. Media attention grew, the football public became more engaged, and step by step our confidence kept increasing.”
Now, 20 years after watching his first World Cup on TV in the city of Ar-Ramtha in northwest Jordan, Sharara is part of the quadrennial football festival himself. “My earliest World Cup memory was probably the 2006 final between Italy and France,” he recalls. “I supported Italy then, but at the same time I’ve always loved Argentina because of Lionel Messi. He’s a historic, iconic player.”
The 2026 tournament will likely be 39-year-old Messi’s last hurrah on the international stage, as he captains reigning champions Argentina in the defence of the crown they won in Qatar four years ago. Sharara played a small role in the much-anticipated swansong after Jordan were drawn alongside Argentina in Group J. The two nations face off in Arlington, Texas on June 28.
“Just talking about it gives me goosebumps,” Sharara beams. “As a kid, you watch the World Cup on TV. Now you’re playing against Lionel Messi, Enzo Fernández and Julián Álvarez – world-class players. It’s incredibly motivating and gives you a huge push to show your best level at the World Cup.”
Before the showdown with Messi & Co, Jordan will take on Algeria in a match hosted at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on 23 June. The team faced Austria in the 17 June debut, ending the 3-1 match down by two goals. California is home to more of the Jordanian diaspora than anywhere else in the US, and Sharara is hopeful of receiving a warm welcome when the team plays on the West Coast. “I think the Algeria match will have a really special flavour,” he says. “Algeria is a big team in the Arab world, and the Arab communities in North America will be very passionate. We hope it’s a great match.”
It’s a testament to the growing stature of Jordan in international football that they are considered by many pundits as genuine contenders to finish as runners-up to Argentina in their group – and make it through to the round of 32 at their inaugural World Cup. Such a result would see them emulate other notable Arab success stories at the tournament over the years. Saudi Arabia reached the knockout stage on their World Cup debut – also in the US – back in 1994, while Morocco defied expectations to become the first Arab and African nation to make it to the semi-finals last time out in Qatar.
“Our confidence has grown a lot recently and we always have ambition in every tournament,” Sharara explains. “It won’t be easy, as this is our first World Cup, but our goal is to perform well in every match. If we do that, we can get positive results and aim to progress beyond the group stage. We have the quality and the motivation.”
The man responsible for inspiring the players this summer is Jordan’s coach, Jamal Sellami, who successfully navigated the final stage of World Cup qualifying after replacing Hussein Ammouta part-way through the campaign. “Coach Sellami has added important technical and psychological elements,” Sharara says. He understands the strengths of his players and how to build a system that suits them. We always play as a group – for the team and for the nation. It’s a collective effort, and every player contributed to qualifying for the World Cup.”
Sellami has appeared wholly unfazed since stepping into the role as national team coach. In January, the Moroccan was officially granted Jordanian citizenship by King Abdullah II in recognition of his achievements.
Success on the pitch has, unsurprisingly, led to an uptick in support away from it. Jordanians have long been fervent football fans – but with little historically to celebrate, attention has often turned towards the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga, dominating screens across the country, often moreso than domestic sides, such as Al-Wehdat or Al-Ramtha.
The World Cup represents a very different stage. Jordan’s largest sports venue – Amman International Stadium – holds just 18,000 spectators. This summer, Sharara and his team-mates will walk out in front of 71,000 in Santa Clara and 94,000 in Arlington.
Expectations are certainly shifting. Since reaching the Asian Cup final, Jordan’s citizens have engaged more with the national team, and in December King Abdullah II announced that a new 55,000-capacity national stadium will be built, opening in 2029. “The change has been huge,” Sharara explains. “People talk about the World Cup everywhere – cafés, streets, media. The pride and attention have grown enormously. We know the national team’s reputation has increased globally, and that didn’t come from nothing – it came from hard work and sacrifice.”
Sharara’s own pathway to the World Cup began in Ar-Ramtha in the mid-2000s. The talented young winger joined the youth system of his hometown club, having already been bestowed a nickname that would stick with him through his professional career. “Sharara came from my childhood,” he explains. “I was very energetic and always moving around, and my uncle said I was like a spark. The nickname stuck, and I’m happy it became something people associate with me as a player.”
His performances on the pitch quickly began to match his moniker – electric attacking displays that consistently left defences defeated. At 21 years old, he received his first national team call-up, and soon after Sharara left Jordan in an attempt to expand his football education. Spells in Qatar, Tunisia, Libya and Iraq followed.
“Every experience has added something,” Sharara reflects. “My time in Libya and Tunisia helped me develop technically and physically. Now with Raja, I’m playing at a huge club with one of the biggest fanbases in Africa. That level of competition pushes you to improve a lot.”
Jordan’s recent accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by global football scouts, and Sharara is one of several players now forging club careers overseas. Striker Ali Olwan, whose hat-trick against Oman secured his team’s World Cup qualification, and AFC Asian Cup hero Yazan Al-Naimat both play in Qatar, while highly regarded 20-year-old prospect Odeh Al-Fakhouri recently signed for African champions Pyramids of Egypt. Only one player, Musa Al-Taamari, has thus far made it to the big leagues of Europe – the winger has played in Cyprus, Belgium, and now in France with Rennes.
Sharara admits he would love to follow Al-Taamari’s path. “Since I was young, my dream has been to play in Europe’s top leagues,” he says. “I’m proud of Musa for playing in France and I hope one day I can achieve that dream too.”
For now, however, it’s a case of one dream at a time. Having helped transform the standard – and standing – of Jordanian football, Sharara and his team-mates’ firm focus is on the World Cup. It’s a generational accomplishment, but he hopes that last June’s euphoria in Muscat will not prove to be an isolated moment.
“Seeing the Jordanian flag and our national team alongside the world’s best will be an incredible feeling,” he smiles. “I hope it inspires young people to dream big and believe that one day they too can represent Jordan at the World Cup.”
Originally published in the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of MOJEH Men. Subscribe here
