Meet Mohammad Abualnadi: The Kansas City native making World Cup history with Jordan

KANSAS CITY, MO — Mohammad Abualnadi had a decision to make. 

It wasn’t easy. 

The 25-year old bet on himself, reaping the benefits of an historic summer.

Abualnadi is playing in the 2026 World Cup representing Jordan. The Kansas City-born player is making history for his team and family.

From pharmacy school to the World Cup 

After a strong collegiate soccer career at Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, Abualnadi wasn’t sure if professional soccer was his path. 

Starting out in the lower divisions can be a grind, and Abualnadi knows it. 

Instead, he decided to enroll in pharmacy school at the University of Florida in Aug. 2024. 

“It wasn’t an ultimatum with my parents, but it was a reality check with how my football was,” he said. “I’m realistic with my goals and realistic with where I am in life.”

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Hard work and achieving objectives is ingrained in the Abualnadi household. Reaching pharmacy school was the next chapter that Abualnadi’s parents were expecting. 

Abualnadi had stints with Jordanian club Al-Hussein and Iraq’s Al-Qasim prior to pharmacy school. His time with both clubs didn’t pan out the way that he wanted. 

That’s why he wanted to continue his studies. Maybe his dream of playing professional football had ended, he thought.

Instead, Abualnadi decided to bet on himself.

One week into school, Abualnadi dropped out, opting to continue his dream of professional soccer. 

It was a shock to the family, according to Abualnadi’s sister Noor, but Abualnadi’s soccer goals were far from over.

“I think he realized that you can try to mold yourself in so many different ways,” Noor said. “But, you just really can’t deny what your passion is.”

Abualnadi made the jump to Malaysia, playing for Selangor FC. It’s there where his career began to blossom. 

Less than three weeks after joining Selangor, the Jordan national team called up Abualnadi. It was another big break for the defender. 

He made his debut in a non-sanctioned FIFA friendly against North Korea. Abualnadi made his first official appearance against South Korea — where he played for 13 minutes — in World Cup qualification in October 2024. 

Since that match, Abualnadi has been a mainstay in the Jordanian national team. 

He started in Jordan’s 3-0 win over Oman in June 2025. The win sealed a place in the World Cup for the first time in the country’s history. 

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How a Kansas City-born player can represent Jordan

Abualnadi is Kansas City through and through. He was a ball boy for MLS club Sporting Kansas City as a youngster. 

Abualnadi’s father is Palestinian and was born in a refugee camp, while his mother was born in Jordan. 

The pair arrived in America in the mid-1980’s. The patriarch was studying to become a physician, spending time at the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University before settling in Kansas City. 

According to FIFA, for a player to represent their non-birth nation, they need to have a parent or grandparent born in that country. This is how Abualnadi can represent the Jordan national team. 

Abualnadi and his family would travel to Jordan every other summer to visit family. He wanted to keep up with his soccer when making the trip overseas. His mother found a person on Facebook to help train her son. 

That person ended up being a coach on the Jordan youth national team. From that point on, Abualnadi was on the map with the federation. 

“When he would go overseas, he would get to train with them and I think they continue to get to know him,” Noor said. “I think it’s really interesting as an American, to be able to have more than one national identity and be able to traverse both opportunities.”

Abualnadi shines as a ‘student of the game’

In America, Abualnadi played for Sporting Kansas City’s youth teams. He rose through the ranks and was an impressive player for the team. 

Abualnadi was someone who could always be relied upon, according to academy director Declan Jogi. 

“He was a very disciplined young man,” Jogi said. “He was very hardworking and also a very good player. He’s a very good ball-playing center back and really good with the ball in possession, really high IQ. Mo’s a really good student of the game and was always a pleasure to have around.”

During the World Cup, Jogi has been watching one of his pupils shine. It’s a testament to the team’s development and another great achievement for the MLS side. 

Abualnadi is an inspiration to many young players in the Kansas City area, but Jogi was adamant that everyone’s paths are completely different, lifting high expectations off the shoulders of his youth.

“When the kids come through our system, we feel a connection,” Jogi said. “It takes a village. Everybody has a hand in a player’s development.”

Before Abualnadi’s stint with Al-Hussein, he made his senior debut with SKC in a 3-0 U.S. Open Cup win over Tulsa Athletic in 2023. He is the second Kansan to ever play in a World Cup, alongside Sporting Kansas City great Matt Besler.

Jordan’s last ride against Argentina 

Jordan will conclude its inaugural World Cup appearance with a matchup against Argentina on Saturday, June 27. Jordan has already been eliminated after group-stage losses to Algeria and Austria. 

Abualnadi started and played 72 minutes in the opening match against Austria. 

“I had a tremendous amount of joy and a tremendous amount of excitement,” Abualnadi said. “I was very proud and for everyone making a debut in the World Cup.”

He was an unused substitute in the team’s second game against Algeria. Every step of the way, his family has been there for him. They have attended every game and will be there in Dallas when Jordan takes the field against the defending champions. 

“The person it has hit home the most is my mom,” Noor said. “I don’t think that there’s any athlete who didn’t have some kind of support system that took them beyond anything they could have possibly fathomed, for my brother, that was totally my mom.”

When Abualnadi saw his mom after the opening match, the joy radiated from the stands to the pitch. 

“Having them is tremendous and I was over the moon seeing them after the first game,” Abualnadi said. “It was a lucky moment to have.”

What’s next for Abualnadi?

After the World Cup, Abualnadi will continue his professional career in Europe. He will be departing his Malaysian club after a strong two-year run. 

He announced his decision to sign for FC Corvinul Hunedoara in Romania. It’s the first time the club will be playing in the highest level of Romanian club football in 34 years. 

For now, there is one last battle for Abualnadi in the World Cup, which could result in him tracking Lionel Messi. 

Liam Keating covers the World Cup in Kansas City for USA TODAY. He also covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at LKeating@gannett.com