U-19 men’s, women’s football teams play at Asian competitions

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-19 national team football plays Vietnam on Friday in its first match at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship which kicked off in Indonesia on Thursday.

Jordan lost 3-2 to Qatar in a friendly in Doha ahead of the upcoming Championship where the Kingdom will play in Group C alongside Australia, South Korea and Vietnam, as 16 teams compete in four groups with the eventual semifinalists advancing to the FIFA U-19 World Cup.

Earlier this month Jordan held a training camp in Saudi Arabia where it drew 2-2 and beat its hosts 1-0. Team coaches hope the team will advance in the Asian event after Jordan failed to qualify to the Championships in 2014 and 2016 after earlier qualifying four times and reaching the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan finished fourth in 2006, but exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and reached the quarters in 2012. 

So far three national teams were eliminated from its respective Asian events: Jordan bowed out of the first round of the 2018 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Championship. Held once every two years for Asian U-16 teams, the competition serves as a qualification tournament for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the top four countries qualifying. Iraq are the reigning champs.

Earlier, the U-16 women’s football squad was eliminated from Group A AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Round 1 qualifiers finishing second in the group. 

In addition, Jordan’s U-23 men’s football team was knocked out of the first round of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship which acts as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In 2016, Jordan reached the quarter-finals and in 2014 Jordan finished third.

Other than the men’s U-19, there are now two other national teams left in contention. The U-19 women’s squad will play at the AFC U-19 Championship Round 1 qualifiers set for October 20-28. A total of 27 teams will play in six groups with Jordan in Group E alongside Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, who replaced the Northern Mariana Islands. 

The group winners and the top two second placed teams move to Round 2 set for April 2019 where the teams will play in two groups with the group winner and runner up advancing to the finals to join Japan, North Korea and China.

The women’s senior team will play the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers set for November. The team will play in Group D alongside the Maldives, Palestine and Indonesia.