It appears that the Football Association's competitions department has decided this time not to let Asian participation reshuffle the Pro League schedule, putting an end to the policy of postponing matches that used to accompany Jordanian clubs' continental campaigns in past seasons — along with the disruption that caused to the regularity of competition and to clubs' calculations, which often left them facing a congested schedule and a backlog of matches.
اضافة اعلان
The competitions department is moving toward adopting a clear principle for handling Al-Faisaly and Al-Hussein Irbid's matches during their participation in the AFC Champions League Two: the team playing its continental match at home will get two days' rest before returning to league action three days later, while the team playing away from Jordan will get three days' rest before playing its domestic match on the fourth day.
At first glance, the approach may seem strict, but it reflects a desire to preserve the league's regularity and prevent Asian participation from becoming an open-ended excuse for postponing matches — especially since postponements, even when justified in some cases, quickly turn into a real scheduling crisis once matches pile up and the competitions department's room to maneuver narrows.
The third-round Pro League schedule, issued by the competitions department two days ago, confirmed this approach: Al-Hussein Irbid's match against Shabab Al-Ordon was set for 7:00 p.m. on September 19 at King Abdullah II Stadium in Al-Quwaismeh, while Al-Faisaly face Al-Baqa'a at 7:00 p.m. on September 20 at Amman International Stadium — just two or three days after both teams begin their continental campaigns. Al-Faisaly open their participation against Qatar's Al-Rayyan on September 16 at 9:15 p.m. at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, while Al-Hussein Irbid begin their campaign the same day, hosting India's East Bengal at 7:00 p.m. at Amman International Stadium.
Technically, coaches Ahmad Hayel (Al-Hussein Irbid) and Tareq Mustafa (Al-Faisaly) will face a genuine challenge in managing player workload and maintaining squad readiness, especially since the short gap between matches may push the technical staffs to rotate the lineup and rest some key players — making squad depth a decisive factor in both teams' ability to compete domestically and continentally at the same time.
Meanwhile, other local clubs won't be watching this scheduling passively — facing teams participating in Asian competition just days after their continental matches could give opponents a chance to exploit fatigue, adding an extra tactical dimension to these domestic fixtures.
The competitions department has also taken care to distribute matches in a way that accounts for stadium readiness, avoiding excessive strain on the pitch at Amman International Stadium, which will host a number of the continental tournament's matches, particularly as it serves as the main venue for Al-Faisaly and Al-Hussein Irbid's continental fixtures.
Amman International Stadium will host four of the first 15 matches over the opening three weeks, while King Abdullah II Stadium in Al-Quwaismeh will host six matches, and Petra Stadium will host five — a distribution reflecting an effort to ease pressure on Amman Stadium and keep its pitch in the best possible condition.
This highlights the importance of scheduling not just from a timing perspective, but also from the standpoint of protecting sporting facilities, especially since pitch quality has become an essential factor in match success — particularly for Asian fixtures, which require high-standard pitches and constant readiness.
These measures come in an exceptionally demanding season in terms of fixture density. The group stage of the AFC Champions League Two kicks off on September 15, 2026, and runs through December 9, 2026: the first matchday takes place September 15–17, the second October 13–15, the third October 27–29, the fourth November 3–5, and the fifth November 24–26. The sixth matchday for the East Zone is set for December 2–3, while West Zone matches take place December 8–9, before the competition moves into the knockout rounds.
The round of 16 will be played home-and-away from February 9–11, 2027 (first leg) and February 16–18 (second leg), while quarterfinal first legs are set for March 2–3 (West Zone) and March 10–11 (East Zone), with second legs played March 16–18.
The semifinals will also be played home-and-away, with first legs on April 6–7, 2027, and second legs on April 13–14 of the same month.
