• Any result other than victory will put national team under heavy pressure in final round

The Jordan U-17 national football team is preparing for a crucial match on Wednesday, when they face Iraq at 4:00 PM at Aqaba Stadium.

This match is part of Group E in the AFC U-17 qualifiers and carries immense importance for the "Young Nashama" following their recent setback.

Tough loss to Australia shakes qualification hopes

The national team suffered its first defeat in the qualifiers on Monday, losing 0-1 to Australia at Aqaba Stadium.

Although the match was mostly balanced and Jordan had dangerous chances through Al-Johari and Alyan, the opposing goalkeeper’s excellent performance prevented them from scoring.

The only goal came in the 54th minute following a quick start by Australia, ending the match 1-0 and leaving the "Young Nashama" with three points from their opening 5-0 win over Bhutan.

Representing Jordan against Australia were: Azd Yaish, Ahmed Badran, Faisal Abu Daheem, Mohammed Khalil, Bashar Marqa, Nour Eddin Amro, Ahmed Al-Kharabsheh (Mohammed Al-Omrah), Yazn Qaddah (Mamdouh Abu Saad), Osama Al-Johari, Suleiman Alyan (Adnan Al-Bakkar), and Laith Al-Rubaie (Ahmed Al-Khatba).

Hopes rest on victory against Iraq

Wednesday’s match against Iraq has become the most critical and decisive fixture for the Jordanian team. A win over their Iraqi rivals is essential to boost Jordan’s chances of topping Group E, especially since only the first-place team advances to the 2026 Asian finals in Saudi Arabia.

Any result other than a win will place the national team under heavy pressure heading into the final round.

Jordan concludes their qualifying campaign against the Philippines on Sunday, 30 November, at Aqaba Stadium, but attention is currently focused on today’s clash with Iraq, which will largely determine the path of the "Young Nashama" in the qualifiers.