Jordan and Qatar defeated South Korea and Iran in the semifinals, respectively, to reach the final stage.

In fact, I never expected Jordan and Qatar to face off in the final round of the championship. Both of them were far from being favorites. However, with strong candidates from Korea, Japan, Iran, and Australia falling one after another, Jordan and Qatar survived to the last and will face off for the Asian summit.

Jordan passed the preliminary round by ranking third in Group E (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss, 4 points). However, Jordan displayed his potential in the tournament, overwhelmed Iraq and Tajikistan in the round of 16 and 8, respectively, and made a "catastrophic change" by meeting Korea in the semifinals. Jordan, which reached its first Asian Cup final, is set to win its first Asian Cup final.

"We have a great desire to win a historic championship. Although Qatar is not an easy opponent, we will do our best to win the championship by showing a level of performance worthy of the final," Jordanian coach Hussein Amota said.

As the host country, Qatar swept to the final with its home advantage. It advanced to the tournament as No. 1 in Group A (three wins, nine points), and beat Palestine and Uzbekistan in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, respectively. It also beat Iran in the semifinals after a tough match. Qatar is committed to securing its second consecutive championship title.

Qatar coach Tintin Marquez (Spain) vowed to win, saying, "The two brotherly countries will face off, but we are quite determined to lift the trophy with victory," adding, "We will fight hard against Jordan in the final to win."

Jordan has high hopes for Moussa Altamari (Montpelier). While playing in five matches, he scored three goals (one assist) to prove his true worth. Qatar, on the other hand, is focusing on the toes of Akram Afif (Al-Sad), who scored five goals (three assists) in six matches. Afif has clear motivation as he is highly likely to be named MVP if he leads Qatar to the championship.

According to the probability of winning the title predicted by Opta, a soccer statistics and records company, Qatar is slightly ahead of Jordan. Qatar has 51.2 percent and Jordan 48.8 percent. However, it is expected to be a tight final as there is no significant difference. Attention is focusing on whether Jordan will win its first championship or Qatar will win its second consecutive title.

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