Jordan Pro League’s Week 4 kicks off

AMMAN  — Week 4 of the 69th Jordan Professional League (Pro League) kicks off Thursday with all teams back in action after Wihdat’s matches were postponed due to their participation in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League matches. 

Salt and Shabab Urdun lead the pack, while reigning champs Wihdat will play the first of their postponed matches on May 4 following their return from Saudi Arabia where they are playing in Group D of the preliminary round of the Asian Champions League.

As Leg 2 started, Wihdat lost 2-0 to Qatar’s Al Sadd but then came back to beat Saudi Arabia’s Nassr 2-1 in an impressive result. They will play their last match against Iran’s Foolad on Friday. Leg 1 saw them lose 3-1 to two-time champs Al Sadd. They also lost 1-0 loss to Foolad and held Nassr 0-0.

This week, Wihdat play Jalil, Faisali play Ma’an, Ramtha meet Salt, Baqa’a play Shabab Urdun Sahab take on Jazira while Hussein play Aqaba. In last week’s matches, Salt took the lead after they beat Aqaba 2-1 while Shabab Urdun beat Sahab 2-1. Jazira beat Hussein 4-0 , Ma’an beat Baqa’a 2-0 and Ramtha beat Jalil 1-0.

The season started with a newcomer to the Pro League, relatively unknown Jalil, overcoming Wihdat to win the 34th Jordan Football Association Shield — the first of the season competitions. Wihdat came back to win their 14th Super Cup when they beat one time winners Jazira in 38th Jordan Super Cup, the second title up for grabs in the 2021 football season.

Last season, Wihdat took home their 17th title while Jazira finished runner-up, leaving Ramtha in third place, while former champs Faisali settled for fifth after Salt. Sarih dropped alongside eight-time league champ veterans Ahli after a disappointing season. Ahli, were relegated last decade but came back to win the Jordan Cup in 2015 and played in the AFC. Jalil and Baqa’a joined the 12-club Pro League this year. 

Last season Wihdat also won their 10th Jordan Football Association Shield (JFA) title. In other competitions, Faisali overcame Jazira to win their 17th Jordan Super Cup, as the Jordan Cup was scrapped from the agenda for the first time since the competition kicked off in 1980.

The season will be interrupted by regional and international competitions as the national team will resume 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers set to be played in Kuwait June 7-15.

Faisali and Salt are set to play in the AFC Cup. In 2020, Faisali played alongside Jazira in the AFC Cup, which was later scrapped with the COVID-19 pandemic halting regional and international sporting agendas. 

Since the league kicked off in 1944 with only Faisali, Ahli, Urdun and Homenetmen competing, Faisali are 34 time record league champs, while Wihdat won 17 times since they joined in 1980.

Although Faisali are the all-time record titleholders, Wihdat’s record is quite impressive. After four years in the Pro League, they won their first title in 1980 and have gone on to win the majority of titles since then.