Battle for a Spot in the Final … Who Will Take the Ticket

• The national team is in Group 5 of the AFC qualifiers alongside Australia, Iraq, the Philippines, and Bhutan

Attention turns to Aqaba Development Stadium, where the Jordan national under-17 football team faces Saudi Arabia at 8:00 PM on Sunday in the West Asian U-17 Championship semi-final

This match represents a real test for "Al-Nashama" in their quest to reach the tournament final, which Jordan hosts and concludes next Tuesday

Mixed Journey and Narrow Qualification

The national team reached the semi-finals as the second-place team in Group 2 with 3 points

Despite a loss in their last match against Syria (1-0), the team earned three points from an opening win against Palestine by a single goal. The winning goal came from Suleiman Alyan in the 48th minute following a through pass from Laith Al-Rabi

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia enters the match after a strong run in Group 1, with three important victories confirming their place in the semi-finals

They beat Kuwait 1-0 in the third round, drew 0-0 with Lebanon in the second round, and opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Iraq

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Technical Readiness and Preparation for Asian Qualifiers

The team is led by coach Khaled Saad, who announced a 23-player squad for the tournament

Azad Yaish, Ashraf Ali, Alaa Aldin Asriyo, Amir Al-Louzi, Adnan Bakkar, Ibrahim Handieh, Nour Al-Din Amro, Mohammad Khalil, Suleiman Alyan, Ahmad Badran, Laith Al-Rabi, Mohammad Al-Omrah, Rashid Faidy, Ahmad Al-Kharabsheh, Sand Tbishat, Bishr Marqa, Osama Al-Johari, Mohammad Al-Sheikh, Mohannad Al-Asal, Faisal Abu Dahim, Mamdouh Abu Saad, Yazan Qaddah, and Ahmad Al-Maraie

The technical staff aims to address offensive shortcomings seen in the recent match against Syria, where scoring opportunities were not converted into goals

This tournament is part of the Jordan Football Association’s plan to provide the U-17 national team with high-level preparation and support. The team held a training camp in Tunisia before the championship, including two friendly matches against Tunisia

• First match: 1-1 draw, with Jordan’s goal scored by Ahmad Al-Maraie
• Second match: 0-0 draw

These camps and friendlies aim to prepare players for the bigger challenge, the AFC U-17 qualifiers, scheduled from November 22 to 30

The national team is in Group 5 of the AFC qualifiers alongside Australia, Iraq, the Philippines, and Bhutan

Tournament Stages and Qualification System

The West Asian U-17 Championship features seven teams divided into two groups. Group 1 includes Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Kuwait, while Group 2 includes Jordan, Syria, and Palestine

The first round is played in a single-round league format, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals

The final will be held on Tuesday, November 4. The national team aims to defeat Saudi Arabia to reach the final and claim the regional title, providing a major morale boost ahead of the Asian qualifiers