2026 World Cup: Tragic Death of a Jordanian Fan

A stampede that broke out during a gathering of soccer fans in Amman, Jordan—organized to watch the World Cup—left one person dead and eight others injured. According to the state news agency, thousands of people had gathered in the center of the capital to watch the match between Algeria and Jordan on the giant screens set up in Hashemite Square. The growing crowd led to a stampede that resulted in nine fans being hospitalized, as reported by the Public Security Directorate. One of the injured later died.

The match that drew so many people to the square was scheduled to take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and represented a sort of playoff for third place in Group J—which also includes Argentina and Austria—for both national teams. It was, therefore, a highly competitive match, capable of capturing the attention of thousands of Jordanian fans eager to support their national team in its historic first World Cup appearance.

The stakes were extremely high: Jordan, after losing to Austria in the opening match only in the final minutes, still had a chance to qualify for the round of 16, while Algeria needed to bounce back from a heavy 3-0 defeat against Argentina, in which Leo Messi scored a hat trick. The match ended with a 2-1 victory for Algeria, with the decisive goal scored by Gouiri in the 83rd minute; both of the North Africans’ goals came off corner kicks.

The tragedy in Amman casts a deep shadow over what was supposed to be a moment of collective celebration, turning soccer passion into tragedy. The match, played at 6 p.m. local time in Jordan, had drawn an extraordinary crowd to the heart of the capital to experience together a historic moment for the country’s soccer.