Australia's soccer friendly against Jordan is moved to Doha over security concerns

DOHA, Qatar — Australia's soccer friendly next Tuesday against Jordan has been moved to Qatar due to security concerns in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Football Australia said Friday that its request to move the match was approved by the Jordan Football Association.

Coach Tony Popovic’s Socceroos are currently in Doha, where they are set to play Asian champion Qatar on Friday. But their players and staff had made it clear they felt Tuesday’s international against Jordan in the capital Amman should be rescheduled or relocated.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had advised Australians to reconsider their need to travel to the Jordan “due to the unpredictable security situation” and the “threat of terrorism” there.

The U.S. The State Department is reducing staffing at four U.S. embassies in the Middle East, including Amman, after receiving intelligence that Iran has stepped up efforts to target American personnel in the region and elsewhere.

After a meeting between the two soccer associations, it was agreed that the Socceroos could stay at their current base in the Qatari capital and play the Jordan match there on Tuesday.

“It’s great to have the second match of this FIFA international window, against Jordan, confirmed. We were always confident that a positive outcome would be reached,” Popovic said in a statement. “These are crucial games, as we have limited time together, especially now that the AFC Asian Cup has been rescheduled. This will be our last camp for four months.”

Both friendlies had been arranged as warm-up, acclimatization internationals before January’s Asian Cup, but the tournament has been postponed to December 2027 due to conflict in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East in general.