Amman hosts AFC Cup groups B and C matches

AMMAN — Jordan’s Faisali and Salt, host their group matches in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup — the second-tier Asian club competition, kicking off in Amman on Friday.

Salt will start their inaugural AFC Cup campaign when they play 2008 champions Bahrain’s Muharraq in their first match in Group B which also includes Lebanon’s Ansar and Palestine’s Balata playing at the Amman International Stadium.

Meanwhile, King Abdullah Stadium in Quweismeh will see Faisali host Palestine’s Ama’ri in Group C which also includes three-time champs Kuwait Club, and Syria’s Tishreen. The top team in each group alongside the best second placed team move on to the zonal semifinals before teams play the advanced inter zonal knockout stages and final.

Lebanon’s Al Ahed are the reigning titleholders. In the 2020 AFC Cup, Faisali played alongside Jazira before the tournament was scrapped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas. 

Kuwait Club and the Iraqi Air Force Club are AFC Cup record winners having been crowned champs three times each. Faisali won the AFC Cup title in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won in 2007. Other Jordanian teams participating in previous editions include Wihdat, Ramtha, Hussein, That Ras and Ahli. 

The 2021 AFC Cup is the 18th edition of the tournament. The winners will automatically qualify to the 2022 AFC Champions League, and will enter the qualifying play-offs if they have not qualified through their domestic performance. 

Earlier this month, Wihdat played the continent’s leading tournament — the AFC Champions League but were eliminated in the group stages after an impressive performance in Leg 2 where they beat Iran’s Foolad 1-0, Saudi Arabia’s Nassr 2-1 and lost to Qatar’s Al Sadd 2-0 to finish 3rd in Group D. In Leg 1, they lost 3-1 to two-time champs Al Sadd, 1-0 to Foolad and held Nassr 0-0. Group leaders and top three second place finishers moved on to the knockout stage.

Wihdat became the first of the Kingdom’s clubs to play in the round robin group stages of the AFC Champions League. None of the Kingdom’s clubs have ever made it past the AFC Champions League preliminary round where Faisali played in 2020 and 2018, Wihdat in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 and Shabab Urdun in 2014.

The local 2021 season started off with Wihdat beating Jazira to win the Jordan Super Cup after they lost to newcomers Jalil in the JFA Shield final. Last season, Wihdat were crowned Pro League and Jordan Football Association Shield champions leaving Faisali to take home the 17th Jordan Super Cup while the Jordan Cup was not held.