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SEOUL, South Korea — Suffice to say, 2024 has already been a hectic and memorable year for Jordan defender Yazan Al-Arab.
Back at the start of the year, Al-Arab and his international colleagues caused a real stir when they marched all the way to the final of the AFC Asian Cup before ultimately losing 3-1 to hosts and defending champions Qatar.
Having never gone further than the quarterfinals previously, Jordan’s spirited displays — which included a huge semifinal upset over perennial contenders South Korea — saw them announce their arrival as one of the continent’s leading lights.
Then, in July, Al-Arab earned arguably the biggest move of his career when he signed for FC Seoul, one of the K League 1’s traditional powerhouses but a sleeping giant given the last of their four titles came back in 2016.
FC Seoul will not end their title drought this year, with Ulsan HD having already secured a third consecutive crown at the start of the month.
Nonetheless, they are in line to return to continental action for the first time since 2020.
Given the military-affiliated Gimcheon Sangmu ineligible to represent South Korea in Asian competition, it is third-placed Gangwon FC who are currently in the running to join Ulsan in next season’s AFC Champions League Elite via the qualifying playoffs.
With one round remaining in the K League 1 season, to be held after the current international window, Seoul need to hold on to fourth spot to seal a place in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two.
However, in the event that Ulsan beat Pohang Steelers in the Korea Cup final, Gangwon will then take the second automatic ACL Elite berth — which will then provide Seoul a chance to qualify for Asia’s premier club competition — a prospect that was exactly what Al-Arab moved to South Korea for.
“Every stage for me is like a challenge,” Al-Arab told ESPN. “Before I came here, I promised myself that I would give everything for this club.
“I want to achieve success with this club. We’ve achieved really good results (in the second half of the season). Now we have to focus on getting that Champions League ticket.
“The K League is one of the best leagues in Asia. That’s why I took the decision to come to Korea, because K League has very good players, (levels of) performance, fans, and even the stadiums.
“Everything is of a high level.”
There is also plenty for Al-Arab to look forward to on the international stage.
The improvement Jordan displayed at the Asian Cup now has them dreaming of a maiden FIFA World Cup appearance in 2026, especially with the tournament’s expansion to a 48-team competition meaning that Asia are guaranteed at least eight representatives — double the previous allocation of four.
Their campaign has proven a challenge thus far especially given a number of injury problems, including the absence of talismanic forward Musa Al-Taamari.
Still, Jordan remain joint-second in Group B of the Asian qualifiers after four matches and just three points behind leaders South Korea, with the top two automatically qualifying for the World Cup.
“At the Asian Cup, we gave 100% and reached the final,” recalled Al-Arab.
“Now, in the current World Cup qualification, we’ve had some injuries but we just have to focus on the upcoming games and hope to get the ticket to the World Cup.”
For the 28-year-old, a successful end to 2024 could nicely set up his immediate future given his current deal with Seoul only runs till the end of the season — although he is currently on focused on finishing the year on a high.
“We don’t know what will happen in the future,” he added. “For sure, I’m honoured to be here.
“FC Seoul are one of the biggest clubs in Asia with a good history.
“For now, we just have to focus on the end of the season and we’ll see what happens after that.”
