Wihdat and Faisali set off on their 2011 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup journey today with the aim of returning Jordanian teams to the forefront of the Asian football arena.
The 8th edition of the event includes 32 teams divided into eight groups with the top two in each group moving on to the Round of 16 starting May 24.

Wihdat will take on Talaba at 1:30pm (Amman time) in Erbil, Iraq, in Group D Stage 1 matches that also include Kuwait FC and Oman’s Suweiq.
Wihdat will miss Hasan Abdul Fattah and Amer Deeb, who are playing abroad, as well as, Amer Shafie, who is suspended for a year, and Ra’fat Ali, who is serving a four-match AFC suspension.

‘’All four Group D teams are looking to qualify,’’ Wihdat coach Abdullah Abu Zame’ was quoted in Al Ghad as saying. He added that the team did not have the best of circumstance now, and ‘’it will not be easy’’.

In Amman, Faisali host Syria’s Jeish at 5:00pm in Group C that also includes Kuwait’s Nasr and Iraq’s Duhok.
Faisali’s coach Mohammad Yamani also echoed Zame’. Although his team will play the opening match at home, he said, quoted by Al Ghad, ‘’the AFC has strong teams eyeing the title, not just participating’’.

Jordanian teams dominated the AFC Cup, a second-tier Asian club competition, with Faisali winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and Shabab Urdun in 2007.
In 2008 and 2009, Jordanian teams were eliminated in the first round. In 2010, Shabab Urdun made it to the Round of 16 while Wihdat exited in the first round.

Locally so far this season 11-time league winners Wihdat won two titles - the Jordan Football Association Shield and the Cup Winners’ Cup. Wihdat have reached the semis of the Jordan Cup while Faisali were eliminated and are second in the Jordan Professional League behind Wihdat.

Hussein joined Faisali in the 2005 edition, while Faisali and Wihdat played in 2006. In 2007, Faisali were joined by Wihdat and Shabab Urdun. Wihdat and Shabab Urdun took part in 2008, and Faisali and Wihdat represented Jordan in 2009.
 
Groups
Group A
Ansar (Leb), Tilal ( Yemen), Dempo SC ( India), Nasaf (Uzb)
Group B
Ittihad (Syr), Qadisiya ( Kuwait), Saqr ( Yemen), Shurtan (Uzb)
Group C
Jeish ( Syria), Nasr ( Kuwait), Duhok ( Iraq), Faisali (Jordan)
Group D
Wihdat (Jordan), Talaba ( Iraq), Kuwait ( Kuwait), Suweiq ( Oman)
Group E
Ahed ( Lebanon), Urouba ( Oman), Karamah ( Syria), Erbil ( Iraq)
Group F
Song Lam Nghe An ( Vietnam), Sriwijaya ( Indonesia), TSW Pegasus (HKG), V.B ( Maldives)
Group G
Hanoi T&T ( Vietnam), Muang, Thong United ( Thailand), Tampines Rovers FC ( Singapore), Victory SC ( Maldives)
Group H
Chonburi Football Club ( Thailand), East Bengal ( India), Persipura Jayapura ( Indonesia), South China ( Hong Kong)
AFC Cup Champions list
2010 Ittihad Aleppo ( Syria)
2009 Kuwait SC ( Kuwait)
2008 Muharraq ( Bahrain)
2007 Shabab Urdun ( Jordan)
2006       Faisali (Jordan)
2005 Faisali (Jordan)
2004 Jeish ( Syria)