The Socceroos won’t go to Amman after all: the Jordan friendly moves to Doha

The stand-off is over: the Socceroos will play Jordan in Doha, not Amman.

Football Australia confirmed on Friday that the Jordan Football Association had accepted its request to move next week’s friendly to the Qatari capital, where the squad is already based. The match remains on Tuesday 17 November local time, which is Wednesday 18 November in Australia. The stadium and kick-off time are still to be confirmed. It will be shown on Paramount+.

The game had been scheduled for 7pm at Amman International Stadium. The change was agreed at a meeting in Amman between Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler and Farah Badarneh, acting general secretary of the Jordan federation.

“We are very grateful to the Jordan Football Association for accepting to relocate the match,” Kugeler said.

Why did the players refuse to go?

The Professional Footballers Australia engaged its own independent security experts, and its chief executive, Beau Busch, said last week that players had “overwhelmingly expressed” the view that the match should be rescheduled or relocated.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller advice for Jordan is “reconsider your need to travel”, the second-highest of its four levels, citing an unpredictable security situation and the threat of terrorism. For Qatar, it is “exercise a high degree of caution”.

Not every player felt the same way. Winger Awer Mabil had said he would be happy to travel, and coach Tony Popovic had said no one would be punished for refusing to go on security grounds.

What does Popovic get out of it?

Two matches instead of one. Popovic said it was great to have the second game of the window confirmed, and that the squad had limited time together: this is its last camp for four months.

That matters more than usual. The November window was meant to be a dress rehearsal for the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, which was due in January. The tournament has been postponed because of conflict in the region, with proposed new dates of 23 December 2027 to 21 January 2028, still subject to FIFA approval.

Security worries are spreading through football in the region. The United States has withdrawn its team from the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, citing its own government’s travel advice, while the Joeys remain in Doha for the tournament.

What about fans?

Both matches are on Paramount+. Australia play Qatar at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha at 5.45pm local time on Friday: 10.45pm AWST Friday and 1.45am AEDT Saturday. Fans who had planned to travel to Amman should watch for Football Australia’s announcement of the Doha stadium and kick-off time.