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AMMAN — Jordan archieved a 3-0 win and clinched its first three points when it scored an expected win over 195th ranked Pakistan on Thursday, in an away Group G qualifier for the 2026 World Cup man.

The Kingdom led 2-0 at halftime, scoring early through Mousa Ta’mari in the second minute before Ali Alwan hit from the spot. Ta’mari lost a penalty in the final ten minutes, but his persistence to score enabled him to add the third goal in the 85th minute. Saudi Arabia was set to meet Tajikistan in Thursday’s evening match.

With FIFA making way for 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 edition of the World Cup observers believe Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta has the chance to take Jordan to the World Cup for the first time. 

U23 team fails to advance 

Meanwhile, the U23 national team lost to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday at the 5th  West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship and will now  play for positions 5-8. 

Jordan was the first to score and set the pace of the match, missing chances before Saudi Arabia equalised through a penalty amid many officiating gaps as the match headed into a penalty shootout. Jordan’s goalie, Anton Awad was the star of the match as he saved at least two goals and another in the shootout. However, the team missed four penalty shots as Saudi won the match. It is the Kingdom’s fifth time at the West Asian Championship after they won the title in 2021.

Jordan will play China and Vietnam in friendlies on April 7 and 9 before the 6th AFC U23 Asian Cup on April 15 which qualifies the top three teams to the Olympics while the fourth will play a play-off to advance. Jordan was drawn in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Australia and Indonesia.  

World Cup qualifiers – Asian Group G standings 

AMMAN   —  Jordan’s football team plays Pakistan on Thursday noon in an away Group G qualifier for the 2026 World Cup before hosting the return match March 26 in Amman.

The World Cup qualifiers kicked off in November 2023 with Jordan off to a slow start holding Tajikistan 1-1 and losing 2-0 to Saudi Arabia. However, fans are optimistic they will return home with a solid win against 195th ranked Pakistan as team morale and fan expectations shifted after reaching the final of the 2023 Asian Cup last month with an impressive run before eventually losing 3-1 to hosts and reigning champs Qatar, in a match marred with officiating mistakes including three questionable penalties.

With FIFA making way for 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 edition of the World Cup observers believe Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta has the chance to take Jordan to the World Cup for the first time.  

The squad regrouped shortly after the end of the League’s week 14 as pros playing abroad flew home. However, Amouta caused further uncertainty as he announced the lineup with four new players, while again alluding to the point that staying with the team was still not finalised due to personal reasons. 

Jordan has moved to 70th in FIFA rankings  and fans anxiously await to see team stars Mousa Ta’mari, Yazan Nue’imat, Yazan al-Arab, Ehsan Haddad, Ali Alwan, Yazeed Abu Laila and teammates who made history for the Kingdom in Jordan’s 5th time at the Asian Cup.

AMMAN — The U-23 national plays the host Saudi Arabia in Group 1 as the 5thWest Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship kicks off in Ahsaon on Wednesday.

The winner will advance to meet the winner from the Korea vs Thailand match in Group 2. Egypt and the UAE are in Group 3, while Australia and Iraq  play in Group 4. Group winners will move to the semis while the rest will play for positions 5-8.

This will be the fifth West Asian Championship. Qatar won in 2015, Jordan in 2021, Saudi Arabiain 2022 with Jordan missing that edition, and Iraq in 2023 when Jordan reached the semis.

Jordan’s coach Abdullah Abu Zam’eh underlined the importance of timing of the West Asianeventas“an excellent opportunity to prepare for the 6th AFC U-23 Asian Cup kicking off in Qatar” on April 15 which qualifies the top three teams to the Olympics while the fourth will play a play-off to advance.

“My task with this squad is clear. We aim to advance Jordan to the Olympic Games for the first time,” Abu Zam’eh noted. “We have challenges, but we have a great lineup that deserves to qualify,” he underlined.

The U-23 squad might not have had an exemplary preparation due to the  national team’s participation at the 2023 Asian Cup where Abu Zam’eh was recalled for assistant coach duty with the senior team. However, following Jordan’s performance at the Asian Cup,  Abu Zam’eh said the “achievement lifted expectations and put more pressure on the lineup, but also gave them motivation to strive for the best”.

The U-23 team  played a few friendlies as they prepared for their events including losing against Saudi, Qatar, Egypt in latest matches.  They played league leaders Hussein as well as the senior national team before leaving Amman.  

Following the West Asian event, the team is slated to play two friendlies against China and Vietnam, on April 7 and 9 before the U-23 Asian Cup where Jordan was drawn in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, Australia and Indonesia.

Group B includes Japan , Korea, UAE and China.

Group C includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Thailand and Tajikistan;

Group D includes Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Kuwait and Malaysia.

INDIAN WELLS, United States — World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz cruised home in a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 victory over Daniil Medvedev on Sunday to win a second straight Indian Wells ATP title, both coming at the Russian’s expense.

Alcaraz captured his first title since Wimbledon last July and became the first repeat winner at Indian Wells since Novak Djokovic won three straight titles from 2014-16.

For the 20-year-old Spaniard, 12 days in the California desert proved just what he needed after a stuttering start to the season, which included a quarter-final exit at the Australian Open and an ankle injury that forced him out of his opening match at Rio de Janeiro in February.

“A lot of doubts for me,” he said of his mindset coming in amidst his longest title drought since he burst through for his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open.

For Alcaraz, however, it wasn’t just about ending the drought, it was about rediscovering his joy in the game.

“It means a lot to me, lifting this trophy, winning this tournament, because I overcome a lot of problems in my head, a lot of problems physically,” he said.

“Not that I didn’t win a tournament since Wimbledon. For me, it doesn’t matter, It’s about the feelings... It’s about enjoying playing tennis, once I step on the court, putting my game. It’s what only matters.

“That’s why I’m really, really happy to lift this trophy, because I found myself at this tournament.”

As he did last year, Alcaraz denied Medvedev’s bid to capture the only one of the ATP’s six hardcourt Masters 1000 titles he has yet to win.

More importantly, after a week in which he ended Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner’s 19-match winning streak, Alcaraz was looking forward with renewed confidence to next week’s hardcourt tournament in Miami and beyond.

“Obviously winning tournaments helps a lot coming to the next ones,” said Alcaraz, whose tournament included not only a semi-final victory over red-hot Sinner but also a brush with a swarm of bees in his quarter-final win over Alexander Zverev — the man who ousted him in Melbourne.

“Obviously winning a Masters 1000 again — it is a really difficult tournament to win — gives you extra motivation to keep going, extra, extra confidence for Miami right now and for what’s next,” said Alcaraz, who joined compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only players to win five Masters 1000 titles before turning 21.

World No.4 Medvedev, who was hindered by an ankle injury in their 2023 title clash, got off to a hot start in this one, parlaying a service break into a 3-0 first-set lead.

But Alcaraz produced a blazing forehand passing shot to break Medvedev in the fifth game and from there they duelled to the tie-breaker with entertaining rallies spiced by drop shots, volleys and lobs.

Alcaraz had fans out of their seats in one rally, when he started to let a lob go by but, seeing it was heading in, managed to reach it and salvage the point.

“I’m trying to do that kind of points,” Alcaraz said. “It gives me extra motivation.”

“So the result is a fair result for the match that it was. But I’m happy,” Medvedev added. “Last time I managed to[(reach the final in Indian Wells] I won Miami -- so that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

LOS ANGELES — Stephen Curry returned from a sprained ankle to score 31 points and reserve Klay Thompson added 26 to spark Golden State over the Los Angeles Lakers 128-121 in an NBA showdown on Saturday.

The Lakers, who lost forward Anthony Davis after the first quarter to a poke in the left eye, squandered a 40-point performance by LeBron James in falling to the Warriors.

“A big win for us,” Curry said. “I don’t know the last time we won in here against them. Big deal.”

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Curry missed Golden State’s past three games and the Warriors are only 1-5 this season without him.

The 36-year-old guard and four-time NBA champion returned in spectacular fashion, adding six rebounds and five assists while hitting 12-of-24 shots from the floor, and 3-of-10 from 3-point range.

James, who hit 15-of-23 shots, added eight points and nine assists and filled in after Davis went to the locker room after the first quarter and did not play again.

“They always going to talk about me and him,” Curry said of James. “It was about our total group tonight. For us, it takes a whole team to win and we needed it — we needed it bad.”

Draymond Green contributed 12 rebounds and 13 assists and Jonathan Kuminga added 23 points for Golden State.

The game was halted for several minutes near the end by a malfunctioning shot clock.

“I’ve never seen that in my career. Usually they have a back-up clock or something,” Curry said.

“That’s the worst thing that could happen, especially this age. You build up all pre-game, you get going and when the engine shuts off it’s hard to get it going again.”

The Warriors are a percentage point ahead of the Lakers in the last two play-in positions in the Western Conference.

Thunder share West lead 

Jalen Williams scored 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had six assists as the Oklahoma City Thunder grabbed a share of the Western Conference lead by winning 118-112 at Memphis.

The Thunder matched defending NBA champion Denver atop the West at 47-20.

Rookie Chet Holmgren scored 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 20 points for Oklahoma City.

Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points to lead the Philadelphia 76ers over visiting Charlotte 109-98.

Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam poured in 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to spark host Indiana over the Brooklyn Nets 121-100.

C.J. McCollum scored 30 points and passed off eight assists while Zion Williamson added 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead New Orleans over visiting Portland 126-107.

Jalen Green scored 26 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to lead Houston over visiting Cleveland 117-103, stretching the Rockets’ win streak to five games.

Ayo Dosunmu scored 34 points and Nikola Vucevic added 29 points and 13 rebounds to spark the Chicago Bulls over visiting NBA doormat Washington 127-98.

WASHINGTON — Nikola Jokic dominated rookie Victor Wembanyama in a big-man battle as NBA champion Denver defeated San Antonio on Friday while Zion Williamson powered New Orleans over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting while Jamal Murray added 15 points and 10 rebounds in Denver’s 117-106 victory over the Spurs at Austin, Texas.

The Nuggets stretched their win streak to five games and seized sole possession of the Western Conference lead at 47-20, a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City with the second-best record in the NBA behind Boston (52-14).

“Holding onto first place is a big deal for us,” said reserve Christian Braun, who replaced Jokic in the final minutes.

“We’ve been on a roll. Our starters have been doing a really good job, playing really well since the All-Star break. That’s what we’ve got to do. I’m here to give Jokic and Jamal a rest.”

French 20-year-old rookie Wembanyama had 17 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the floor, going 1-of-5 from 3-point range, and added nine rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks for the Spurs, the West doormat at 14-53.

At New Orleans, Williamson scored 34 points to lead the Pelicans over the Clippers 112-104.

The 23-year-old US power forward hit 14-of-21 shots from the floor and added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot for the Pelicans, who improved to 40-26 while the Clippers, without James Harden due to a shoulder injury, slid to 42-24.

New Orleans pulled within two games of Los Angeles for fourth in the West and clinched a season tie-break over the Clippers, but Williamson wouldn’t call it a statement triumph.

“I want to win,” Williamson said. “Simple as that. They can take it how they want. I just wanted to win.

“Every game matters. If you want to be in a good spot in the standings you’ve got to win every game. That’s the mindset.”

Williamson was especially pleased with the defensive work against Clippers stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

“They’re both elite shotmakers. They’re going to hit some shots,” he said. “Just being physical and communicating. That was the game plan.”

George scored 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting, 3-of-9 from 3-point range, while Leonard was 8-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc for 23 points to lead the Clippers.

Suns, Heat win

Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 21 points and passed off 11 assists to spark the Suns to victory 107-96 at Charlotte.

Grayson Allen added 17 points, Bradley Beal had 15 and Jusuf Nurkic had 13 points and 21 rebounds for the Suns (39-28).

Phoenix’s Kevin Durant scored 13 points and now needs 20 more to pass Shaquille O’Neal’s 28,596 for eighth on the NBA all-time scoring list.

Durant has already overtaken Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone and Carmelo Anthony on the career scoring list this season.

At Miami, Bam Adebayo had team highs of 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the host Heat over Detroit 108-95.

INDIAN WELLS, United States — American Emma Navarro shocked Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Indian Wells ATP-WTA Masters quarter-finals on Wednesday as Coco Gauff sailed through.

Navarro, ranked 23rd in the world, pushed Sabalenka hard on a breezy Stadium Court to notch her first career win over a top-five player 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

US Open champion Gauff, seeded third, celebrated her 20th birthday with a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Belgian Elise Mertens.

It wasn’t quite so easy for last year’s men’s runner-up Daniil Medvedev, but the fourth-seeded Russian managed the windy conditions to post a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Medvedev next faces seventh-seeded Holger Rune, who saved a match point then roared through the second-set tiebreaker on the way to a 2-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 victory over 2022 champion Taylor Fritz.

“It was a crazy match,” Rune said. I managed to raise my level in the end of the second set. I just kept believing. I was always behind in the match, I was struggling to break his serve, but once I found my rhythm... especially the tiebreak was very good for me and then I just gained confidence.” Medvedev said consistency was the key to his victory in windy conditions.

“I think in general I played well. I was really consistent,” said Medvedev, who had just 13 unforced errors as he moved a step closer to a first title at Indian Wells — the only hardcourt ATP Masters tournament he has never won.

In other men’s matches, American Tommy Paul ended Italian Luca Nardi’s dream week with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Nardi, who lost in qualifying but gained a place in the main draw as a “lucky loser” thanks to a withdrawal, was coming off a stunning upset of World No.1 Novak Djokovic in the third round.

Paul will play for a place in the semi-finals against ninth-seeded Casper Ruud, who rallied to beat French veteran Gael Monfils 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.

Navarro’s victory over World No.2 Sabalenka continues a strong season for the 22-year-old, who won the WTA title in Hobart and reached the semi-finals in Auckland and San Diego.

“It’s definitely cool to be able to play an opponent like that and feel like I can hang and I can win,” she said. “I’ve worked really hard over the years to kind of just get to this point and be able to play at a level that can compete with the best players in the world. I think that showed today,” she added.

Sabalenka, meanwhile, has found it frustrating since her successful title defense at the year’s first Grand Slam. The Belarusian’s fourth-round exit follows her opening-match defeat in Dubai last month. After the two exchanged just two breaks of serve in the first two sets, Navarro came out ahead as they traded three straight breaks in the third to take a 3-1 lead. She broke Sabalenka again to seal the match, finishing with 22 winners to 14 unforced errors while Sabalenka’s 38 winners were countered by 34 unforced errors.

Learning experience 

Sabalenka, who saved four match points to win her opener against 64th-ranked American Peyton Stearns, acknowledged that she never really got comfortable in the California desert this year.

“I tried to adjust,” she said. “I would say that we did our best and we’ll learn.” Navarro next faces face ninth-ranked Maria Sakkari of Greece, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 winner over France’s Diane Parry.

Gauff, who turned 20 on Wednesday, will next face China’s Yuan Yue, who beat Daria Kasatkina 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. “Feels good — finally got a win on my birthday,” Gauff said after what she called a “pretty straightforward” victory.

Thursday’s other quarter-finals were already set, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to take on Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner to face Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Women’s World No.1 Iga Swiatek will face returning veteran Caroline Wozniacki while Anastasia Potopova of Russia will play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

AMMAN — Standings remained mostly unchanged as week 14 of the Professional Football League concluded before teams head for a two week break as the national team regroups for the World Cup qualifiers.

Hussein are still in the lead after they beat neighbours Ramtha 5-0 while Faisali  beat Ma’an by the same score to trail in second place and Wihdat beat Mughayer Sarhan 2-1 to remain third.

Salt beat Shabab Urdun  2-1, Ahli scored an important 1-0 win over Sahab to move one spot and Aqaba tied Jalil 0-0.

The competition which has halted for  the national team’s participation at the 2023 Asian Cup now halts up to March 29 as Jordan plays Pakistan in two World Cup qualifiers.

So far in the season, Wihdat beat Faisali to win the Jordan Super Cup for their 15th time, reigning Pro League champs Faisali won their 9th Jordan Football Association Shield, while the Jordan Cup is still under way.

The veteran teams seem inconsistent locally as there were regionally earlier this season when both Wihdat and Faisali failed to advance beyond Round 1 at AFC Cup and Champions League respectively.

AMMAN  —  Jordan’s national has regrouped following the end of the Pro League’s week 14 as they prepare to resume Group G qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in which Jordan will play Pakistan in two consecutive home and away matches in the next two weeks.

Moroccan coach Hussein Amouta returned after a short trip back home and announced the lineup which includes four new players who were impressive with their clubs in the league competition now underway. 

Fans anxiously await to see team stars Mousa Ta’mari, Yazan Nue’imat, Yazan Al Arab, Ehsan Haddad, Ali Alwan, Yazeed Abu Laila and teammates who made history for the Kingdom after Jordan reached the final of the 2023 Asian Cup last month after an impressive run before eventually losing 3-1 to hosts and reigning champs Qatar in a match marred with officiating mistakes including three questionable penalties.

The World Cup qualifiers kicked off in November 2023 with Jordan off to a slow start holding Tajikistan 1-1 and losing 2-0 to Saudi Arabia.

However, team morale and fan expectations have shifted after Jordan has shot up 17 spots to 70th in the latest FIFA rankings after the squad reached played the Asian Cup for the 5th time  with their previous best past performance reaching the quarterfinals in 2004 and 2011.

Not even the most optimistic of fans would have thought the Kingdom’s team would reach the Asian Cup final. But the leadership and tactics of coach Amouta in steering Jordan through to the advanced position combined with the concerted effort of Jordan’s top stars enabled the squad to write football history for Jordan.

On its way to the final, Jordan lost 1-0 to Bahrain, tied  Korea 2-2, and scored a 4-0 win over Malaysia before beating 2007 champs Iraq 3-2 in the injury time of Round of 16. The turning point came when they beat Tajikistan 1-0 in the quarterfinals, to make it to the semis where they ousted two-time Asian champs Korea 2-0.

As the team returned home, fans held their breath as Amouta, seemed to allude to the fact that his plans with the team were still not finalized. However, recent reports recently said he will continue his contract and with FIFA making way for 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 edition of the World Cup Amouta has the chance to take Jordan to the World Cup for the first time.

INDIAN WELLS — Reigning Grand Slam champions Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz turned in dominating performances on Sunday to roll into the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Indian Wells Masters.

The two hottest young racquets in the sport showed no mercy in quick-fire victories with Australian Open champion Sinner overwhelming Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4.

“Almost perfect” Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon champion, stepped up his 2023 title defense with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The World No.2 Spaniard allowed his Canadian opponent no room to move, reaching the fourth round with his eighth match win in a row at the event.

“It was almost the perfect match for me,” said Alcaraz, who broke Auger-Aliassime’s serve four times. “I moved well, played aggressive and had less mistakes.”

Sinner was equally ruthless as he attacked Struff, with the Italian winning his 17th match in succession dating to his country’s Davis Cup victory in November.

Both of the young guns needed barely an hour and a quarter to claim their victories.

Sinner fired 27 winners past Struff, whose style gave the third seed a target on court.

“We prepared very well, I tried to learn his moves,” Sinner said. “I played well and served well under pressure.

“Overall I can be really happy about today, I felt really good on the court.”

Alcaraz won the last five games of the opening set and broke to start the second on his way to repeating his win over Auger-Aliassime from the 2023 quarter-finals.

The second seed finished off victory on his first match point as Auger-Aliassime hit the net with his 23rd unforced error.

It was a welcome show of strength from Alcaraz, who hasn’t won a title since winning his second Grand Slam with a stunning triumph over Novak Djokovic at the All England Club last year.

He exited the Australian Open in the quarter-finals then lost in the semifinals at Buenos Aires last month before spraining his ankle and retiring from his opening match in Rio de Janeiro.

“I played at a really high level of tennis, so much higher than the first round,” the Spaniard said. “Hopefully [I’ll] keep climbing [raising] my level.”

Alcaraz may still be feeling the effects of the ankle, which has left him short of 2024 match play.

“My confidence has gone down a little bit, I’ve been struggling during the practice every day,” he admitted. “I’m trying to keep my confidence as high as I can.”

In other matches, Australian Alex de Minaur, seeded 10th, dominated Dubai finalist Alexander Bublik 7-5, 6-0.

Greek 11th-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eliminated a home crowd favourite with his 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Frances Tiafoe, who reached the Californian quarters a year ago.

“I’m happy with this victory because I had a good start,” former top-10 player Tsitsipas said. “I maintained that throughout the match.

“Of course he was going to fight back at some point and present a more difficult challenge for me in the second set, but I fought back.

“I held serve, and I stayed really committed to what I was doing.”

Swiatek revenge 

In WTA play, Iga Swiatek claimed quick revenge for a January loss as she hammered Czech Linda Noskova 6-4, 6-0 to reach the fourth round.

The Polish top seed was defeated by the 29th-ranked challenger in an Australian Open third-round upset.

On Sunday, world number one Swiatek quickly recovered after going down an early break to the 19-year-old, levelling at 4-all and sweeping through the remainder of the third-round match.

Swiatek will next face Kazakh Yulia Putintseva, who beat Madison Keys 6-4, 6-1.

The Pole said she learned from her loss to Noskova in Melbourne.

“It was much smarter to think about how to just play against Linda rather than focusing on my mistakes,” she said. “I was motivated to just play better and not make the same mistakes but to improve my game in some aspects.”

Swiatek said that despite winning the last 10 games of the match, she will not depend on that kind of superlative form. “I wouldn’t say I felt like I’m in a roll, because I was still so focused. I know that players can easily switch the momentum back.”