02/09/2024
02/09/2024
KUWAIT CITY, Sept: The Kuwait national football team has departed Dubai, UAE, and is en route to Amman, Jordan, to prepare for their match against Jordan on Thursday at Amman International Stadium. This game marks the first round of Group Two in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Kuwait wrapped up its training camp in the UAE, which began on August 21. Under the guidance of Juan Pizzi, the team held training sessions twice daily, focusing on enhancing player fitness and readiness.
The team is scheduled to train in Amman this evening, with its main training session set for tomorrow at Amman International Stadium. The technical staff, aware of the travel fatigue, plans to keep today's training light to avoid overexerting the players. It also finalizing the lineup for the opening match of the qualifiers, which has been under consideration in recent days.
The training sessions are expected to be conducted under strict confidentiality, as requested by coach Juan Pizzi. The technical staff has also been analyzing recent performances of the Jordanian national team, particularly their matches in the last Asian Cup held in Qatar and in the second round of the qualifiers.
Jordan has ramped up its preparations for the match against Kuwait, holding morning and evening training sessions at Petra Stadium in Al-Hussein Youth City. Coach Jamal Salami is leading efforts to boost the players' technical and physical readiness.
Musa Al-Taamari, who plays professionally for Montpellier in France, and Yazan Al-Arab, who plays in Seoul, South Korea, are expected to join the team today, two days before the match. Both players were delayed in joining the team’s training due to commitments with their respective clubs.
Meanwhile, Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani announced an agreement with Kuwaiti officials allowing 5,000 Iraqi fans to enter Kuwait to support their national team during the match on September 10, which will be part of the second round of Group Two in the qualifiers. Al-Eidani stated in a press release, "After a series of discussions with local and central government officials in Kuwait, an agreement was reached to permit this number of Iraqi fans to support our national team in its upcoming match against Kuwait.
By Khaled Al-Anzi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff