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Ranking the Middle East and North African teams at World Cup 2026

A record eight MENA teams will compete at the 2026 World Cup, with Morocco headlining after their historic 2022 semifinal run. Jordan makes their debut under coach Jamal Sellami, while Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia each carry distinct strengths and concerns.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage May 31 – Jun 9, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

The 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America will feature a record eight teams from the Middle East and North Africa, a level of representation that one regional outlet describes as unprecedented. Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia have all qualified, with the tournament kicking off on June 11.

Morocco enters as the continent's standard-bearer after becoming the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022. The Atlas Lions have since climbed into the top 10 of the FIFA men's rankings and added the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, though that honor came after Senegal was stripped of the crown. Jordan, appearing in their first World Cup, hopes to emulate Morocco's breakthrough under Moroccan coach Jamal Sellami.

Coverage Comparison

Al Jazeera's reporting spans three distinct angles: a deep dive into Morocco's footballing rise, a profile of Jordan's debut campaign, and a broader assessment of all eight MENA teams' chances. The coverage consistently highlights the region's growing competitiveness while noting specific weaknesses that could limit progress.

For Morocco, the outlet emphasizes a long-term national project launched after the 2008 Skhirat Sports Conference, crediting governance reform, financial investment, and competent human resources for the team's success. A source close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to talk to media, told Al Jazeera that King Mohammed VI outlined the strategy during that conference. The same report notes Morocco's achievements across all age groups and categories, including the 2025 U-20 World Cup title and the 2024 Olympic bronze.

Jordan's coverage focuses on coach Jamal Sellami's optimism and the team's recent form. Sellami, who played for Morocco at the World Cup, told Reuters during a training camp in Antalya, Turkiye, in late March: "In big competitions, many teams can surprise. My country, Morocco, reached the semifinals in the last World Cup. That gives us belief." The outlet also notes Jordan reached the 2023 Asian Cup final, losing to Qatar, and the 2025 Arab Cup final, falling 3-2 to Morocco after extra time.

The broader preview rates each side's prospects, with Algeria and Morocco seen as the strongest candidates, while several teams carry outright concerns.

Key Claims

Morocco's rise in FIFA rankings is attributed to good governance, financial investment, and competent human resources, as reported by Al Jazeera, citing a source close to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation.
Morocco became the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022.
Jordan is appearing at the World Cup finals for the first time, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Algeria's defensive inconsistency remains a concern ahead of the tournament.
Egypt has never won a World Cup match, according to Al Jazeera's preview.
Iraq returns to the World Cup after a 40-year absence.
Morocco's squad has a strong sense of cohesion due to years of playing together.
Qatar's defensive vulnerability against higher-quality opposition remains a concern.
Saudi Arabia's consistency remains a concern.
Tunisia's defensive discipline remains their greatest asset.

MENA Team-by-Team Outlook

Algeria, ranked 28th in the world, return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. The 2019 AFCON champions carry hope centered on star winger Riyad Mahrez but face questions about consistency after failing to qualify for Qatar 2022.

Egypt, appearing in their fourth World Cup, have never won a match at the tournament. Their chances will depend on breaking that historical drought, though the report gives no specifics on their current squad.

Iraq make their return after a 40-year absence, a significant milestone for a nation with a rich footballing history. Their campaign will be closely watched given the long gap.

Jordan, ranked 63rd, arrive with momentum after a strong qualifying campaign in which they scored 32 goals, their highest tally in a single qualification cycle. However, top scorer Yazan Alnemat will miss the tournament through injury. Sellami took over in June 2024, building on the groundwork of compatriot Hussein Ammouta.

Morocco, the highest-ranked MENA side, are described as credible contenders for the title. Their squad's cohesion comes from years of playing together across age-group levels, and their coach's optimism is rooted in recent continental success.

Qatar, the 2022 hosts, are back at the World Cup but remain vulnerable defensively against higher-quality opposition, a concern that has persisted since their group-stage exit on home soil.

Saudi Arabia, who stunned Argentina in the 2022 group stage, are again qualified but face questions about their consistency over the course of a tournament.

Tunisia, traditionally strong defensively, are expected to rely on that discipline as their greatest asset, though the report offers no further breakdown of their attacking capabilities.

Perspectives

Moroccan football federation (via anonymous source): The country's success is the result of a deliberate national strategy implemented since 2008, focusing on governance, funding, and personnel.

Jamal Sellami, Jordan coach: He believes his team can surprise at the World Cup, drawing inspiration from Morocco's 2022 run and historic upsets like Algeria beating Germany in 1982 and Cameroon defeating Argentina in 1990.

How this outlet told it

Al Jazeera as of May 31, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC

Framing: Morocco's rise to football prominence — Positive and optimistic

Facts Included:

Morocco's rise in FIFA rankings
Morocco's success in AFCON and other tournaments
Factors behind Morocco's success: good governance, financial investment, and competent human resources
Morocco's chances at the 2026 World Cup

Read the source article →

Al Jazeera as of Jun 6, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC

Framing: Jordan's World Cup debut — Hopeful and determined

Facts Included:

Jordan's World Cup debut
Jordan's coach Jamal Sellami's experience and expectations
Jordan's key players and their strengths

Read the source article →

Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC

Framing: Arab teams at the 2026 World Cup — Informative and neutral

Facts Included:

Overview of Arab teams at the 2026 World Cup
Each team's strengths, weaknesses, and chances
Key players and their roles

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimMorocco's rise in FIFA rankings is due to good governance, financial investment, and competent human resources.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of May 31, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC
ClaimMorocco became the first Arab nation to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of May 31, 2026, 11:31 AM UTC
ClaimJordan is appearing at the World Cup finals for the first time.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 6, 2026, 11:00 AM UTC
ClaimAlgeria's defensive inconsistency remains a concern.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimEgypt has never won a World Cup match.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimIraq returns to the World Cup after a 40-year absence.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimMorocco's squad has a strong sense of cohesion due to years of playing together.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimQatar's defensive vulnerability against higher-quality opposition remains a concern.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimSaudi Arabia's consistency remains a concern.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC
ClaimTunisia's defensive discipline remains their greatest asset.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Al Jazeera as of Jun 9, 2026, 9:30 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 3 articles consulted: Al Jazeera 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15