Wihdat, Hussein reach ACL quarters

AMMAN — It was a good week for Jordan on both the football and basketball scenes.

Wihdat and Hussein moved to the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL) Two after two crucial Round 5 matches, while Jordan qualified to the FIBA Asia Cup in basketball.

Wihdat held Sepahan Isfahan 1-1 to top Group C maintaining an unbeaten run after they had earlier beat them 2-1, Tajikistan’s Istiklol 1-o twice and held UAE’s Sharjah 2-2. In other group matches, Sepahan upset Sharjah 3-1 after losing 3-1. Sharjah beat Istiklol 1-0 and 3-1 and Sepahan beat Istiklol 4-0.

For Jordan league champs Hussein, their home game against UAE’s Ahli Dubai wastough. They led 2-0 but lost 3-2 to drop to second in Group D but nevertheless qualified to the quarters.

Hussein had earlierlost 3-1to Ahli, beat Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi twice as well as Kuwait Club 2-1. In other group matches, Ahli held Kuwait 3-3 after earlier beating them 4-1, Kuwait held Nasaf 0-0 and beat them 2-1 while Nasaf upsetAhli 2-1.  

In Round 6, Wihdat will host Sharjahon December 3 and Hussein will play an away match against Kuwait on December 4.

Basketball qualifies to FIBA Asia Cup

In basketball, Jordan qualified to the 31st FIBA Asia Cup 2025 after playing Window 2 Group D matches, managing a below par 87-81 win over Palestine after beating  Iraq 73-64 to maintain an unbeaten streak after scoring two wins in window 1, with wins over Palestine 73-46 and Saudi Arabia 79-64.

It will be Jordan’s 17th time at the FIBA Asia Cup (formerly FIBA Asia Championship) with their best position finishing runner-up in 2011. The Kingdom is  2023Asian Gamessilver medalist and three-time qualifier to the World Cup, 2010, 2019 and 2023.