Top Countries Whose Soccer Teams Fought through Adversity

In a global sense, soccer is a game that’s more than just two teams kicking into a goal. Diehard fans will literally be there as soon as they open the gates just to catch a glimpse of their favorite players in their soccer warm up gears. This sport is a worldwide phenomenon and each team has a story behind how they got to where they are today. In the vast countries surrounding Asia, there have been teams that have pushed through adversity, social and political conflict, and regional issues to become champions for both their country and the league.

Iraq

Their Asian Cup campaign in 2007 was the beginning of the rise of Iraqi football. With their country having been in turmoil, as well as war-torn, the Iraqi people never gave up on their beloved team and have supported their advancement to become a contender. Their country’s colors gleam brightly on the soccer clothes of fans that came to support their beloved country. Despite the politics and issues that have risen up, there’s no denying that the Iraqi football team has shown remarkable strides and is heading towards the right direction. Although they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014, they’re getting better and better.

Afghanistan

Like Iraq, Afghanistan had to compete and play through conflict in order to grow as a team and as a country. It’s safe to say that Afghanistan has become a legitimate soccer team that overcame years of adversity. The instability of the country’s economy as well as the political conflict that has taken place has only made their national team stronger – it showed when they became South Asian Champions back in 2011. Their desire and willpower cannot be trained and it’s only a matter of time that they exceed their capabilities and land on a bigger stage.

Jordan

The national soccer team of Jordan has always been the underdog. When they had a qualifying campaign in 2014, they were defeated by Uruguay 5-0. Now, this nation has never experienced the international glory that they worked their tails off to get. But, by coming in third place in the Asian qualifiers, they were put to the test facing Uzbekistan in the Asian play-offs. The winner of this team would face Uruguay. It ended in a draw which went to penalty shots. Jordan eventually won and faced Uruguay. In the first match as mentioned previously, Uruguay beat Jordan with ease 5-0. However, in the second leg of the stretch in Uruguay, Jordan fought with heart and ended the match with a tied score of 0-0. Although they didn’t qualify for the World Cup, their dedication and willpower pushed them to earn the respect of many. Many critics wrote them off as being a contender, so this just goes to show how far a country can push themselves to fight for both their pride and their country.