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PORTO, Portugal — European champions Portugal won the inaugural Nations League with a 1-0 win over The Netherlands on Sunday and on this evidence must surely be early candidates to challenge with France for next year’s Euro 2020 title.

The narrow margin of the win did not express the gap in quality between the sides at the Dragao Stadium — the weakness of this Dutch team has always been their lack of real firepower and they paid heavily for that.

But while The Netherlands were never out of the game, Portugal were superior in all departments.

The Dutch finished above France and Germany to reach the final four and then beat England in the semifinals, but while there is no doubt that Ronald Koeman’s side are on an upward trajectory, their limitations were exposed by Portugal.

For all the hype around the imagined confrontation between Cristiano Ronaldo and Europe’s top defender Virgil van Dijk, it was other players who made the difference for the home side.

Bernardo Silva, unsurprisingly, was behind so much of the positive play from Portugal. Buzzing around the right flank, the Manchester City midfielder was alert, inventive and threatening.

Bruno Fernandes provided much of the same from midfield, his clever touches, intelligent use of the ball and movement into space showing why he is the latest Portuguese player to be linked with a move to one of Europe’s big clubs.

Decisive goal

The decisive goal came on the hour from Goncalo Guedes, the 22-year-old Valencia forward who amply justified his inclusion ahead of Joao Felix, with his link-up play and ability to stretch a Dutch defence already preoccupied with Ronaldo.

Indeed, Ronaldo was relatively quiet — another indication that this Portugal side is continuing to improve, looking much less reliant on the 34-year-old who can now play as a pure striker given Bernardo Silva’s ability to lead the counter-attacks.

The status of the Nations League was compared by Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman to a Super Cup at club level but, whatever the value of the new competition, Portugal in their two wins here and performances in qualifying showed they are arguably a better side than the team which triumphed at Euro 2016.

Three years ago in France, Portugal only progressed from the group stage in third place, behind Iceland and Hungary, having drawn all their games.

They rarely shone in the knockout stage, winning the competition with just one solitary victory inside 90 minutes, but showing resilience and discipline in their 1-0 triumph over France after extra time in the final.

Those qualities remain important to Fernando Santos’s side but this is a much more expressive and creative team, with the younger faces he has introduced turning Portugal into a formidable force.

Quality choices

Put simply, there was no Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes or Guedes at Euro 2016 and, with the 19-year-old Felix emerging as another attacking option, Santos will defend the title with a broad range of quality choices.

At centre-back Ruben Dias, the 22-year-old Benfica defender, was calm and authoritative, looking comfortable bringing the ball out of defence.

The solid, physical, holding midfield pair of William Carvalho and Danilo show Santos is not getting carried away by the talent available to him and their simple but effective work gives the team crucial equilibrium.

World champions France must be favourites to win the pan-European tournament next year while England, despite their disappointment in defeat by the Dutch in the semifinal, will fancy their chances.

The Netherlands, if they can find more firepower in attack, could be in contention and only a fool dismisses heavyweights Germany, Spain and Italy.

But there is a level of close understanding and teamwork about Santos’s outfit that gives them more the appearance of a club side than a national team and that can be crucial.

Unlike the side who were crowned European champions three years ago, this Portugal are a true pleasure to watch.

OAKLAND, California — The Golden State Warriors may never play another game at the Oracle Arena, the concrete relic they call home, but that is suddenly a secondary concern at best for the NBA’s reigning but reeling champions.

The Toronto Raptors moved to the brink of their first NBA championship on Friday night by outlasting the Warriors 105-92 in a Game Four slog.

Fuelled by a Golden State-style haymaker in the third quarter, Toronto seized a 3-1 series lead to take back to Canada for tomorrow night’s Game Five.

The Warriors, who have revelled in three NBA titles in the past four seasons, will know what is at stake.

A 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven finals has led to 33 titles in 34 previous finals series. The only exception: their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

The Warriors will now need their own Cleveland-style comeback to ensure that their dynasty of the past half-decade — as the first NBA team to make five successive trips to the finals since the Boston Celtics in the 1960s — does not end in defeat.

They could also clearly use Kevin Durant, expected to have returned by now from a strained right calf.

Golden State welcomed Klay Thompson and Kevon Looney back from injury in Game Four, but the hosts could not muster a response to Toronto’s 37-21 edge in the third quarter.

Kawhi Leonard scored 17 of his team-high 36 points in the period, and Serge Ibaka finished with a crucial 20 points off the bench.

“We were taking a lot of punches early, but we just kept standing in there and playing,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse of his team, who are seeking their first crown of their 24-season history.

“We know this is a great team and we know how hard we have to play to beat them. We’re going to get back there and they [Warriors] are going to be going crazy in Toronto.”

The first half belonged to the Warriors but the tide turned in the third period when the visitors outscored the two-time defending champions behind five-for-seven shooting and two momentum-swinging three-pointers from Leonard.

Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals’ Most Valuable Player in leading San Antonio to a title over Miami, was 11 of 22 overall from the floor, five of nine from three-point range and nine of nine from the free-throw line to secure the victory.

He played down his heroics after the game, saying: “I don’t play hero basketball. I’m just playing to win.

“The key was pretty much playing defence. That second half we started to make some shots and just pretty much stayed in the game. Just got to be patient. It doesn’t matter until you get that fourth win.”

Thompson led the Warriors with 28 points, and Stephen Curry added 27. But Curry missed seven of his nine attempts from three-point range, and no other Warrior scored more than 10 points.

Without Durant, who may or may not return for Game Five, the Warriors had to settle for Thompson (hamstring) rebounding from his one-game absence and Looney (chest) rejoining the rotation.

But it was not enough against the gritty Raptors, who were not without their own injuries — Kyle Lowry (10 points) played through the pain of an injured left thumb, and Fred VanVleet (eight) needed seven stitches in the fourth quarter after taking an elbow to the face.

“It’s not over,” a defiant Curry said. “It’s not a good feeling right now but we’re still fighting and trying to get over the hump. We still have an opportunity to win.”

PARIS — Austrian Dominic Thiem crushed Novak Djokovic’s French Open hopes as he survived a weather-ravaged semifinal spanning 24 hours to complete a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 victory on Saturday and set up a repeat of last year’s showdown with Rafael Nadal.

More than an hour after the women’s final should have started on another stormy day on Court Philippe Chatrier, fourth seed Thiem thumped a forehand winner past Djokovic to seal victory after squandering two earlier match points.

It snapped Djokovic’s 26-match winning streak in Grand Slam matches and ended the Serbian’s hopes of holding all four of the sport’s major prizes simultaneously for the second time, having achieved it by winning his only French Open in 2016.

Djokovic, who had trailed 6-2, 3-6, 3-1 overnight after the semifinal had been curtailed on Friday because of rain and wind, had won his previous 10 Grand Slam semifinals.

The World No.1 had looked serene throughout the fortnight, not dropping a set, but in “hurricane” conditions he described as the “worst he had ever played in” he was blown off course by the ferocious hitting of Thiem.

The 25-year-old, who lost to Nadal in last year’s final, handled the elements better as he kept alive his dream of winning a first major title when he takes on the 11-times champion again on Sunday.

“If you reach the final here it’s always against Rafa,” the 25-year-old said on court. “It was an amazing experience last year and I will try everything to be better this year.”

Thiem said he had no complaints that the match had been stopped on Friday with the wind strength increasing and a forecast for more rain to come.

The second stanza of the match began in teasing winds that often played tricks with the ball, yet the quality of the tennis produced was often scintillating.

Djokovic got straight into his groove and broke back in the third game of the day. He was denied another break at 4-4 when Thiem failed to put away two smashes but then got an outrageous net cord off an audacious half-volley.

Under pressure in the 12th game Djokovic was given a time violation before saving three set points, one with an ace.

But a sensational forehand pass by Thiem gave him a fourth set point which he converted when his dipping backhand forced a volley error from Djokovic.

Time violation

Djokovic, still annoyed by his time violation, erupted furiously at the umpire and was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The 15-times Grand Slam champion regained his composure, however, to break serve twice in the fourth set but on both occasions the attacking Thiem hit back immediately.

Thiem double-faulted at 5-5 to gift Djokovic another break and this time the Serbian made it stick to take the match into a decider.

The fifth set was as wild as the weather.

Thiem broke to move into a 4-1 lead and had a point to lead 5-1, which Djokovic saved with a clubbing forehand.

Seconds later a howling rain squall sent the players off court for more than an hour and when they returned Thiem looked poised to win when serving at 5-3 and 40-15.

He crumbled, however, gifting Djokovic four points in a row and his chance appeared to have gone when Djokovic made it 5-5.

Somehow he put that behind him, though, and when Djokovic served at 5-6 he was the one who buckled.

Two tight forehands thumped into the net to give Thiem a third match point and this time the Austrian hammered home a forehand to spark celebrations in his coaching box.

“It was an epic match”, claycourt warrior Thiem, who also beat Djokovic here in 2017, said. “Somehow I had the feeling that I had the lead in the whole match.

“I luckily got the better in the end.”

Meanwhile, Ashleigh Barty, the Australian who ditched tennis to play professional cricket for a year, smashed Marketa Vondrousova for six to lift the French Open crown at Roland Garros.

Boasting a bewildering array of shots and spins, the eighth seed crushed her Czech teenage opponent 6-1 6-3 to win her first Grand Slam title, and Australia’s first French women’s singles crown in more than four decades.

“It’s unbelievable... I played the perfect match today. I am so proud of myself and my whole team... it has been a crazy two weeks,” said Barty, the ninth different female champion in the last 10 grand slams.

PORTO, Portugal — Still something of a novelty, UEFA’s inaugural Nations League tournament reaches its final stage with a four-team mini-competition in Portugal this week, which will be short and sharp and looks to be a wide-open contest.

It will offer Cristiano Ronaldo a chance to win a title for Portugal on home territory, 15 years after his side lost to Greece in the final of Euro 2004, which the country also hosted.

England will have the chance to win its first major title since the World Cup in 1966 while The Netherlands could win its first since Euro 1988.

Switzerland could win their first ever. 

It may not carry the same weight as winning a World Cup or European championship, but the eventual champions are unlikely to be complaining.

“The Nations League is not the most important prize that there is, but it is a trophy nevertheless that we’d like to win,” said Dutch coach Ronald Koeman.

Portugal’s Fernando Santos took a similar line.

“The players have great passion to play for their country and this is no different,” he said. “There is a title at stake and of course we want to win.”

Designed to replace lukewarm friendly internationals, the competition, played between September and November last year, featured all 55 of Europe’s national teams divided into four divisions — Leagues A to D — which were themselves split into four groups.

There is promotion and relegation between each league while the winners of the four League A groups earned their places in Portugal this week. It also provides a back door for four teams to reach Euro 2020.

Despite initial scepticism over the format, it was given a generally warm reception as it matched teams of a similar standard.

The finals format is quick and simple — two semifinals, with Portugal and Switzerland meeting in Porto on Wednesday followed by England and The Netherlands in Guimaraes on Thursday, and the final in Porto on June 9.

‘Lacklustre’ Ronaldo?

Host Portugal starts as slight favourites with Ronaldo, its all time leading scorer and most-capped player, eager to make up for what by his extraordinary standards could almost be described as a lacklustre first season at Juventus.

The 34-year-old scored “only” 28 goals and had to be content with adding just a Serie A title to his medals’ collection.

Portugal’s “old guard” is still in place, with Pepe holding the defence together at 36, but there has also been the welcome emergence of some promising newcomers such as 19-year-old Benfica forward Joao Felix.

England has managed to keep its momentum going after reaching the semifinals at the World Cup last year, finishing ahead of Spain and Croatia in its group and making an emphatic start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with five goals in each of first two games.

The Dutch finished ahead of Germany and France to qualify and appear to be on the way back after missing the last European championship and World Cup.

Switzerland surprisingly pipped Belgium for their place, with a stunning 5-2 win over the World Cup semifinalists, and are looking to make the transformation from a team that is always difficult to beat to one considered title contenders.

“Our goal should be to win the tournament,” said coach Vladimir Petkovic.

AMMAN  — Jordan‘s national football team has regrouped to play two friendlies this month as it prepares for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Qatar and 2023 Asian Cup in China.

The team will leave to Bratislava on Wednesday to play Slovakia on June 7 before returning to Amman to host Indonesia on June 11.

Jordan is now 97th in the latest FIFA World Rankings issued in April which came after the Kingdom played a friendly tournament, losing to Syria and Iraq — the first matches after they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the Asian Cup 2019 where Qatar won the title for the first time.

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1972, Jordan reached the Asian Championship four times: the highlight was at the 13th Asian Cup in 2004, when it lost to Japan in the quarterfinals and jumped to the best ever FIFA rank of 37th. Jordan also reached the Asian Cup in 2011 and 2015 and 2019.

The team ended 2018 in 109th spot as the Kingdom’s competitive edge lacked consistency and although once among the Asia top 10, Jordan now lags behind relatively uncompetitive Asian teams.  The Asian Cup matches improved their form in early 2019 and with it the team’s ranking with the squad hoping to start on a positive note for the upcoming events. 

The national team’s latest peak performance was in 2013 when the team was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie. The Kingdom had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in qualifiers. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers since 1986. 

AMMAN — Faisali concluded the 2019/19 football season beating Ramtha 2-0 late Saturday evening to win their 20th Jordan Cup title.

Faisali combined the 39th Jordan Cup to the Jordan Professional Football League title they won last month, leaving Jazira second and Wihdat third. Earlier in the season, Wihdat beat then Jordan Cup champs Jazira to win the 36th Jordan Super Cup. 

Ramtha were aiming to win the Jordan Cup for a third time after they last won 28 years ago in back to back seasons in 1990/91. On their way to the final, Ramtha eliminated Wihdat beating them 3-1 before tying 1-1 in the semifinal to advance while Faisali had an easier path beating Karmel twice 1-0. 

It was an exciting Jordan Cup competition this season. Thirty-two First and Second Division teams competed with league teams. Hussein and That Ras one of the first eliminated early on by Second Division teams Khaldieh and Um Qutain in the knockout Round 1. In the quarters, Faisali ousted Aqaba, Wihdat eliminated Ahli, Karmel ousted Um Qutain, and Ramtha eliminated Manshieh.

Since the cup started in 1980, Faisali won a record 20 times. Wihdat 1o times, Jazira, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun twice, while Arabi, That Ras and Ahli won once each.

Last season, Jazira who had finished runner-up in the league made club history by winning the 38th Jordan Cup final after they last won the title in 1984. On the regional scene, Jazira were eliminated from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup West Asia zone final and failed to reach the continent’s final while Faisali bowed out in the semifinals. In Arab competitions, Ramtha were eliminated by Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel in the preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup. 

With the local season now behind them, Jazira and Wihdat aim to advance beyond the semifinal of the 16th AFC Cup. In the premier Asian competition, Wihdat were eliminated early in the 2018/19 AFC Champions League, Jordanian teams have never before made it past the ACL preliminary round. Faisali were eliminated in the 2017/18 edition, while Wihdat were knocked out in 2019, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and Shabab Urdun in 2014.

PARIS — A ruthlessly efficient Simona Halep marched into the fourth round of the French Open on Saturday, dropping just three games against Lesia Tsurenko.

Halep, the defending champion from Romania, had been forced to go the distance in the first two rounds. Playing her best match of the tournament, she had no trouble against an error-strewn Tsurenko, winning 6-2, 6-1 in just 55 minutes to extend her win streak against the No. 27 seed from Ukraine to 8-0.

After a relatively cool start to the first week of the French Open, temperatures are expected to soar to as high as 30ºC at the end of the afternoon at Roland Garros in Paris.

Taking advantage of the balls kicking up higher on the clay of the main Court Philippe-Chatrier, Halep took the first set in just 28 minutes as she dominated her opponent from the back of the court.

Tsurenko, who had won her previous match 11-9 in the decider against Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic playing with a broken racket, requested a medical timeout as she trailed 3-0 in the second set.

Watched by Romanian billionaire Ion Tiriac, Halep’s intensity never dropped, as she took a 4-0 lead with aggressive shot-making. Serving for the match at 5-0, Halep got broken, but booked a spot in the fourth round in the next game with a volley, her ninth winner. She made 14 errors, while Tsurenko had just 8 winners and made 32 unforced errors.

“It was a tough match even if the scoreline does not show it,” Halep said.

“Every day in my life I have that image of me winning last year in my mind, it was my greatest moment of my career and it was all the more satisfying for having won here in the juniors as well.”

Meanwhile, Spaniard Garbine Muguruza laid down an impressive marker as she overpowered ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to set up a fourth-round clash with last year’s runner-up Sloane Stephens.

The 19th seed has struggled for consistency this year, hence her low seeding, but Roland Garros tends to bring the best out of her. And so it proved again as the 2016 champion outplayed the Ukrainian on a sunny Court Philippe Chatrier.

“I feel very good in this tournament. I have always loved it since I was a little girl,” Muguruza, who improved her career record at the French Open to 27-5, told reporters.

“I also love the clay. Yeah, I don’t know what it is about the French Open that always gives me a nice mood, and my tennis develops much better.”

The tall Muguruza made her intentions clear from the start, planting herself on the baseline and blazing away with her baseline power-game that Svitolina struggled to contain.

Muguruza made 29 unforced errors, compared with 23 winners — a consequence of the aggressive tactics she employed. Key to her domination, however, were the 26 errors she pressurised Svitolina into making.

LIVERPOOL, England — The hugs, the smiles and the laughter suggest Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool are a happy bunch, bonded together in enjoyment of the attacking football that has taken them to a second straight Champions League final.

But behind the good humour and camaraderie, Liverpool under Klopp have become a ruthless winning machine, where no effort has been spared in the pursuit of the glory the club’s supporters demand.

Klopp, whose team take on Tottenham Hotspur in Saturday’s final in Madrid, personifies this combination of seemingly boundless positivity with a sharp focus on the details needed for success.

While his post-match interviews can frequently include loud laughter and humorous asides, as well as constant praise for his players, the German is a very different character on the training ground.

Defender Virgil van Dijk says that the dual approach works with the players. 

“Just look at the hugs he gives us all at the end of games. It is only a bit of affection, something very small, but it makes you feel great,” he said.

“And yet, he can be stone-hard the next day and put you in your place when you have made mistakes. He will do that in front of the entire squad, but we all accept it because we know it is not something personal,” he added.

The ‘stone-hard’ Klopp is one rarely seen by the public or the media but it appeared after Liverpool were held to a goalless draw in their Premier League derby at Everton.

Asked by a reporter about whether his substitutions had been too cautious, the manager snapped: “I’m really disappointed about your question. It’s football — we don’t play PlayStation.

“You think it’s PlayStation, bring an extra attacker and football changes. It’s not like that. We are offensive enough, football doesn’t work like that.”

How football does work, at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, is that Klopp demands a huge effort from the players and provides them with the best possible support for their efforts.

During the season, Liverpool poached head physio Lee Nobes from title rivals Manchester City and he joined a backroom team that is highly specialised.

There is Dutch coach Pepijn Lijnders, who at 36 brings a different tone and approach to training sessions than Klopp’s previous number two Zeljko Buvac (57).

Peter Krawietz, who worked with Klopp at Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund, is an expert in scouting although his job title as assistant manager highlights the importance of his input.

Krawietz works closely with matchday analysts Harrison Kingston and Mark Leyland, providing detailed information during matches.

There is another group of staff that focus on conditioning and the overall health of the players.

Mona Nemmer, the head of nutrition, previously served that role for Bayern Munich, having been brought in by Pep Guardiola, during his time at the German side.

In a more conventional area of the club, Liverpool’s recruitment team have won plaudits for the way they have targeted key upgrades such as Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker and midfielders Fabinho and Naby Keita.

There is even a throw-in coach, Thomas Gronnemark, a former sprinter and member of Denmark’s bobsleigh team, who takes charge of an often overlooked part of the game.

Leadership

Klopp says such specialists have been essential to his way of working.

“I need experts around me. That’s what leadership is: Have strong people around you with a better knowledge in different departments than yourself,” he said. 

“Don’t act like you know everything, be ready to admit, ‘I have no clue in the moment, give me a couple of minutes and then I will have a clue probably.’

“That’s how I understand it but it’s no real ‘philosophy’, it’s just my way of life.”

So far there has been no silverware in return for all the effort since Klopp took over in 2015. However, after missing out on the Premier League title by just a point, Saturday offers the chance to redeem last year’s Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid.

“I try everything to be as successful as possible,” said Klopp.

“I live 100 per cent for the boys, with the boys, what we do for the club. I think that’s leadership in the first case.”

AMMAN — The Jordan Cup final is set to be played on Saturday evening, with Faisali and Ramtha aiming to win the title of the third competition of the season.

Faisali eliminated Karmel in the semis beating them 1-0 in both legs while Ramtha upset Wihdat beating them 3-1 before tying 1-1 to advance on aggregate. 

After Faisali won the Jordan Professional Football League title earlier this month, Wihdat were looking to win the Jordan Cup. 

However, Ramtha ended that aim and they now have a chance to win the Cup for a third time after they last won 28 years ago in the back to back season of 1990-1991.

Faisali are looking to combine the league win with their 20th cup title and have the advantage in head-to-head encounters with Ramtha.

It was an interesting Jordan Cup competition this season. First and Second Division teams fought out the event as league teams Hussein and That Ras were one of the first eliminated early on by Second Division teams Khaldieh and Um Qutain in the knockout Round One which included 32 teams. In the quarters, Faisali ousted Aqaba, Wihdat eliminated Ahli, Karmel ousted Um Qutain, and Ramtha eliminated Manshieh.

The 2018/19 football season kicked off with league champs Wihdat beating the Jordan Cup champs Jazira in the 36th Jordan Super Cup. Faisali won the league, leaving Jazira second and Wihdat third. 

Since the Cup started in 1980, there have been 37 editions with Faisali winning a record 19 times. Wihdat won 10 times, Jazira, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun won twice each, while Arabi, That Ras and Ahli won once each.

Regionally, Jazira and Wihdat have reached the semis of the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup. Wihdat were eliminated early in the 2018/19 AFC Champions League, Jordanian teams have never before made it past the ACL preliminary round. Faisali were eliminated in the 2017/18 edition, while Wihdat were knocked out in 2017, 2016 and 2015 and now in 2019, and Shabab Urdun in 2014. 

Last season, Wihdat won the league for a record 16th time as Jazira lost two competition finals conceding the 35th Jordan Super Cup to Faisali and the Jordan Football Association Shield final to Wihdat. Jazira finished runner-up in the league but made club history by winning the 38th Jordan Cup final after they last won the Jordan Cup in 1984. 

Regionally, Jazira were eliminated from AFC Cup west Asia zone final and failed to reach the continent’s final. Faisali bowed out in the event’s semifinals. Likewise, Ramtha were eliminated by Tunisia’s Etoile Sportive Du Sahel in the preliminary round of the Arab Club Champions Cup. 

AMMAN — Jordan Motorsport has confirmed that the Jordan Baja will be the seventh round of the 2019 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas on September 19-21, according to the Jordan Baja Media Service.

The Kingdom’s brand new addition to an official FIA series marks the return to the higher echelons of the motor sporting calendar for the country for the first time since the Jordan Rally ran in the FIA World Rally Championship for a third and last time in 2011.

After a successful candidate event at the end of September 2018, Jordan Motorsport was given the green light to be included in the 2019 calendar and CEO Zaid Balqez has confirmed that the new event will be based in Aqaba City on Jordan’s Red Sea shoreline.

The ceremonial start, on September 19, in Aqaba City precedes two days of competitive action in the Wadi Rum area of southern Jordan.

Both legs will run through the spectacular scenery used by Hollywood to film the recent Aladdin film, featuring Will Smith, and the latest Star Wars film to be released later this year.

Entries will be open to cars complying with FIA T1, T2 and T3 regulations but vehicles not complying to these conditions may be able to enter in a “National” category running at the rear of the field.

“We are fortunate to have some of the most beautiful desert terrain available to us in Jordan in Wadi Rum, one of the most famous regions of the world,” said Balqez.

“At Jordan Motorsport, we also have a strong team with WRC pedigree that also puts on a very popular and well organised round of the MERC. This is a new challenge for us and one that we are all looking forward to making one of the most popular Bajas in the world.”

Cross-Country rallying is not new to the Hashemite Kingdom — the Marlboro BP 2000 Desert Challenge ran in 1987, 1988 and 1990. The late Kuwaiti driver Tariq Al Wazzan ran out as the inaugural winner in a Range Rover. Abbas Al Mosawi won the following year in a Mitsubishi Pajero and Qatar’s Saeed Al Hajri won the last race in 1990 at the wheel of a Ford Bronco.

After two rounds of this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas in Russia and Dubai, Vladimir Vasilyev tops the points’ standings with 33 and the Russian has a three-point advantage in the standings over Poland’s Jakub Przygonski and Finland’s Tapio Lauronen.

The 2019 series continues on June 23-26th with the 26th Italian Baja. Competitors then head to Spain, Hungary and Poland during the summer months before Jordan takes centre stage in the calendar for the first time. The series then concludes with the Baja de Portalegre 500 in Portugal at the end of October.

Rally officials are currently working on various shipping options for competitors travelling from Europe to tackle the event for the first time. Further details will be available on June 18 when the supplementary regulations are issued and entries officially open. Entries will close on August 1.