Hussein, Wihdat start Asian agenda

By Aline Bannayan - Sep 16,2024 - Last updated at Sep 16,2024

AMMAN — Wihdat and Hussein start their regional agenda with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League Two, the 21st edition of the second tier Asian event which has replaced the AFC Cup, while the top tier Asian title – is now branded Asian Champions League Elite.

Teams will play in 8 groups with the top two in each moving to the quarters. Wihdat are in Group C and will host Iran’s Isfahan on Tuesday, UAE’s Sharjah on October 1 and Tajikistan’s Istiklalon Oct. 22 while Hussein are in Group D and will face Ahli Dubai on Wednesday, Kuwait Club on October 2 and Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi on October 23.

It will be Hussein’s 1st and Wihdat’s 13th time the event which was won by Faisali twice 2005-2006 and Shabab Urdun once in 2007.

Last season, Wihdat failed to advance beyond Round 1 at AFC Cup as Faisali were eliminated from the Champions League.

So far, Wihdat played in the top tier Asian Champions League twice and were eliminated in the group stages in 2021 and 2022. None of the Kingdom's clubs had ever made it past the ACL preliminary round where Faisali played in 2020 and 2018, Wihdat in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and Shabab Urdun in 2014.

In the second-tier Asian club competition - the AFC Cup –no Jordanian clubs played in 2022 season citing financial and technical constraints. It was the first time Jordanian teams missed the competition since 2005 when Faisali won two back-to-back titles and Shabab Urdun won once. Wihdat reached the semis in 2006, 2007 and 2011.

In the2023/2024 season, Hussein were crowned league champions for the first time becoming the 9th club to win the title since the competition kicked off in 1944. Neighbours Ramtha, won the 2022 title for the third time in their history after an absence of 39 years.

Other competitions last seasonsaw Wihdat win their 12t Jordan Cup as well as the 15thSuper Cup, whileFaisali won their 9th Jordan Football Association Shield.

Faisali are 35-time record league champs while Wihdat won 17 times since first joining in 1980. Ahli won eight times, Ramtha and Jazira three times, ShababUrdun twice, Hussein, Urdun and Amman clubs once.

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