DOHA, Qatar (AP) — 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.
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Jordanian police guard the security booth where an assailant killed a security officer outside the Sri Lankan Embassy in Amman, Jordan, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
Former U.S. national team standouts Megan Rapinoe, Jozy Altidore and Julie Ertz were among those elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Thursday.
David Beckham, who helped grow soccer in the United States when he joined the LA Galaxy in 2007 and later as an owner of Inter Miami, was also voted into the Hall of Fame on the veteran ballot.
The group announced Thursday will be inducted on April 16 at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Plano, Texas.
Rapinoe won a pair of Women's World Cup championships, an Olympic gold medal and the 2019 Ballon d'Or during her career. She was also honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in 2022.
She retired from the national team in 2023 with 63 goals and 73 assists in 203 appearances. She also played for the Seattle Reign in the National Women's Soccer League from the league's first year in 2013 until her retirement.
Rapinoe was elected on the Hall of Fame's player ballot in her first year of eligibility. Her family, friends, and a group of fans surprised her with announcement of her election upon her arrival off a flight at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“To be alongside all the greatest players that have played for us, and played for our country alongside a bunch of my teammates and friends, recognized like that in this way just means you were successful and a part of great teams. So, I definitely was a part of some some great teams, and yeah, it’s very special,” Rapinoe said in a video posted to social media.
Altidore played in the World Cup twice and scored 42 international goals, to rank third in U.S. history, in 115 appearances for the national team. He also scored the winning goal for Toronto FC in the 2017 MLS Cup championship.
Ertz was considered among the best defensive midfielders in the world before her retirement in 2023. She played in three Women's World Cups and was named U.S. Soccer's Player of the Year twice. She also played professionally for the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars from 2014 to 2021, before a short stint with Angel City in 2023.
Known for winning six Premier League titles while with Manchester United, Beckham looms large in the game's growth in the United States. He won back-to-back titles with the Galaxy, scoring 18 goals in 98 appearances. He exercised his option to buy an MLS expansion team in 2014, and Inter Miami joined the league in 2020.
Tatu, a Brazillian forward who scored 857 regular-season goals over a 21-year indoor soccer career, was also elected to the Hall of Fame on the veteran ballot. He is just the third indoor player to receive the honor.
Former U.S. national team coach Lothar Osiander was elected to the Hall of Fame on the builder ballot. Osiander coached the senior national team from 1986-88 and the under-23 team from 1988-92. He also had stints as head coach of the then-San Jose Clash and the LA Galaxy.
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FILE - United States defender Julie Ertz (8) celebrates after scoring a goal against New Zealand during the first half of an international friendly soccer match in Commerce City, Colo., Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)
FILE - United States' Jozy Altidore celebrates in front of fans after scoring a goal against Panama during the first half of a World Cup qualifying soccer match, Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux,File)
FILE - United States' Megan Rapinoe celebrates after scoring her team's ninth goal during the Women's World Cup Group F soccer match between the United States and Thailand at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France, Tuesday, June 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
