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Crosscurrents

Bay Area Jordanian community celebrates Jordan's first time at the World Cup

KALW | By Hana Baba
Published June 22, 2026 at 6:00 AM PDT
Bay Area Jordanian community celebrate in front of Victor's Shoe Repair in downtown San Mateo, wearing kuffiyehs, playing drums and bagpipes, and flying the Jordanian flag.
Hana Baba
Bay Area Jordanian community gather to celebrate in San Mateo.

This story aired in the Monday, June 22 episode of Crosscurrents.

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The Jordanian national soccer team is playing in the World Cup for the first time in history.

The Bay Area Jordanian American community is a tightly knit community of just a few thousand people. In an event organized by the Jordanian American Association, a group of enthusiastic fans gathered for a street party in downtown San Mateo to celebrate.

Members of the Jordanian American Society in traditional clothing
Hana Baba
Members of the Jordanian American Society in traditional clothing

Crosscurrents host Hana Baba takes us there, to hear what this historic moment means for Jordanians in the Bay Area.

Hana Baba
Community member celebrating in San Mateo
Crosscurrents
Hana Baba
Hana Baba is host of Crosscurrents, KALW's weeknight newsmagazine that broadcasts on KALW Public Radio in the San Francisco Bay Area.
See stories by Hana Baba