Women’s football team aims for 3rd win at Asian Championship qualifiers

AMMAN — The women’s national football team plays Iraq on Friday in their third Group A qualifier for the 2018 AFC Women’s Football Championship.

In the qualifiers held in Tajikistan, Jordan leads the group after they beat the UAE and Bahrain 6-0. In other matches Bahrain beat Tajikistan 4-0, Philippines beat Iraq 4-0, Tajikistan beat Iraq 1-0 and the Philippines beat the UAE 4-0. 

In 2016, Jordan hosted the U-17 FIFA World Cup, the first of its kind to take place in the Middle East. Now, the Kingdom will be the first country in the west Asia zone to host the AFC Women’s Football Championship which is held every four years, and has been won by China a total of eight of 15 times. 

As host nation Jordan has already technically secured a slot in the competition, but seeks to benefit from the qualifiers where 21 teams are playing in four groups for top four slots to the 2018 AFC Women’s Championship where Asia’s top eight teams will compete. Reigning champs Japan, Australia, China and hosts Jordan have automatically qualified. If Jordan tops its group, the runner-up will also advance.

Following 18 inactive months, Jordan recently lost its FIFA ranking, after it was world 52nd and 11th in Asia. The last time the senior team competed regionally was in 2015, when they exited the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament with a winless record.