Resigned coach Hamad leads Jordan’s match in Arab Cup qualifier

AMMAN — Jordan’s national football team plays South Sudan on Monday in their preliminary round qualifier for the FIFA Arab Cup — Qatar 2021.

The national team will be led by their former coach Iraqi Adnan Hamad who was with the team 2009-2013 when they reached the World Cup qualifying round 3. Hamad took over after the Jordan Football Association removed Belgian Vital Borkelmans and his assistant following the early exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, amid growing concerns over the team’s latest results, even in friendlies. 

The team arrived from Kuwait after elimination from World Cup qualifiers, and now has to go through another stage of qualifying to get to the 2023 Asian Cup.

Should Jordan beat South Sudan, it will play in Group C which includes Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the winner of the Palestine-Comoros match in the FIFA Arab Cup — Qatar 2021 from November 30 December 18.

Twenty-three Arab teams, 12 from Asia and 11 from Africa will be taking part in qualifiers for the 10th edition of the Arab Cup organised by FIFA in which 16 teams will compete at six of the stadia prepared for the 2022 World Cup. 

Jordan has taken part in past eight Arab Cups and hosted the 1988 edition. Iraq are record Arab Cup titleholders in 1964, 1966 1985 and 1988, Saudi Arabia in 1998 and 2002, Tunisia in 1963, Egypt in 1992 and Morocco in 2012.

In World Cup qualifying, Jordan lost twice with a score of 1-0 to Australia, they held Kuwait twice 0-0, beat Nepal twice 3-0 and Taiwan 5-0 and 2-1 and thus failed to qualify to the next round as one of the best second place finishers from Group B. 

In latest FIFA Rankings, Jordan stayed 95th overall and 15th in Asia lagging behind relatively uncompetitive Asian teams compared to their best ranking of 37th in August of 2004.

Looking back at the Jordan’s peak performance, the team was on the verge of qualifying to the 2014 World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie. The Kingdom had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since first taking part in qualifiers. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times since 1986 qualifiers. 

On the regional level, Jordan reached the Round of 16 in the last edition of the Asian Cup. Since first taking part in qualifiers in 1972, Jordan played at the Asian Cup four times. The highlight was at the 13th Asian Cup in 2004, when they lost to Japan in the quarter-finals. Jordan also reached the Asian Cup in 2011, 2015 and 2019.