DOHA, Qatar — Football Australia chief executive Martin Kugeler has told ESPN the federation won’t face a cost blowout after the Socceroos friendly with Jordan was moved from Amman to Doha in Qatar.
Australia soundly defeated Asian champions Qatar at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Friday, and were originally set to fly to Amman for a meeting with Jordan next Tuesday. However, that game has now been moved to the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, after players expressed reservations about travelling following advice from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) telling its citizens to “reconsider” travel to Jordan.
“We thank the Jordan Football Association (JFA) and appreciate their understanding and flexibility in agreeing to our request to play the match in Qatar,” skipper Harry Souttar said in a statement.
Kugeler arrived in Doha earlier this week for talks with the squad — Football Australia executive director of football Heather Garriock joined him in Doha, while players’ union head Beau Busch and head of player relations Jon McKain travelled to support players — and flew to Amman on Wednesday for discussions with JFA acting general secretary Farah Badarneh, the Jordanian government, and Australian diplomatic staff. On Thursday, he returned to Doha for further talks with the Qatari association (QFA), and the fixture’s shift was confirmed.
Player views were initially shared with Football Australia in mid-October, with discussions with the JFA ramping up after last week’s Asian Cup postponement. Speaking to ESPN, the executive said the late shift from Amman to Doha (which involves Australia taking on hosting responsibilities) wouldn’t cause a cost blowout for the federation, which reported a record statutory net loss of $15.34 million in 2025-26.
“No, nothing material,” Kugeler told ESPN about added costs. “Honestly, nothing material. Obviously, we had to work with the JFA on how we organise the move of the game here to Qatar, but we have done that very collaboratively and found a solution that works for both parties.
“There are a lot of reasons why we were keen to play the two matches. The importance for the team in their preparation [for the Asian Cup]. We want to play for fans… we’ve got such an exciting squad with the Socceroos, where people are really falling in love with the team and the players, and we want to showcase that the team wants to take the next steps after the very successful Queensland series.”
With Qatar already set to host South Korea at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Tuesday, however, in addition to Saudi Arabia facing Uzbekistan at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium and preparations for the start of the U17 World Cup on November 19 entering their final stages, Kugeler admitted the logistics of securing the fixture had proven challenging.
“This is very unique and complex. And as it happens, something that was also moving fast. There were still new curveballs that were coming [on Thursday evening]. An hour before the announcement, we heard that we had to play behind closed doors because there were two other matches at the same time, here in Qatar, and we couldn’t get enough security and volunteers.
“Again, we took the phones out, and Jordan took the phones out, and we worked very hard, with the support of the QFA, and we were able to then also solve that in the last hour before the announcement.
“There were moments when it looked more difficult or unlikely to move the match, and then we overcame those hurdles.
“You have to organise a completely new broadcast in a different country. Elements like that. We have to get referees to a different location. There are many organisational parts that just need to be done, organised, and thought through. That’s why it was great to work on both sides with very experienced teams to make that happen in a short period of time.”
The executive also confirmed that the agreement to move the fixture hadn’t been paired with future, specific commitments to Jordan but that he was open to future collaboration.
“Nothing specific is agreed,” he said. “I can only stress how supportive, constructive, professional, and ultimately understanding the Jordan Football Association was, and is. We would be more than happy to welcome them in Australia to return the friendship that they have shown, the partnership they have shown to us and return it to them.”