Austria will look to make a strong start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign when they face tournament debutants Jordan in a Group J clash at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday.
Match Preview
The Europeans return to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 1998 and arrive in North America with confidence soaring after an impressive qualification campaign and a series of encouraging results in the build-up to the tournament.
Under the guidance of Ralf Rangnick, Austria topped their UEFA qualifying group, losing just once in eight matches. They have also carried that momentum into their World Cup preparations, recording friendly victories over Ghana, South Korea and Tunisia to extend their unbeaten run to five matches.
With defending champions Argentina and a talented Algeria side also in Group J, Austria know that victory against Jordan could prove vital in their bid to reach the knockout stages for the first time since 1954.
Jordan, meanwhile, are preparing for a landmark moment in their football history as they make their first-ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup. The Chivalrous Ones secured qualification after finishing second in their AFC qualifying group, edging out Iraq for an automatic ticket to North America.
Despite the historic achievement, Jordan’s recent form has been less convincing. Jamal Sellami’s side are without a win in their last five matches and have struggled defensively, conceding multiple goals in several recent outings.
The absence of injured forward Yazan Al Naimat, who scored eight goals during qualification, is another major setback for the Asian nation heading into their opening fixture.
Team News
Austria will be without Christoph Baumgartner, who was ruled out before the tournament through injury. Patrick Wimmer, Florian Grillitsch and David Alaba are fitness concerns, although Alaba is expected to be available.
Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic is likely to spearhead the attack alongside Michael Gregoritsch, Marcel Sabitzer and Romano Schmid.
For Jordan, Ibrahim Sabra has withdrawn from the squad and been replaced by Mohammad Taha, while injured star forward Al Naimat remains unavailable.
Predicted Lineups
Austria: A. Schlager; Laimer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene; X. Schlager, Seiwald; Schmid, Sabitzer, Gregoritsch; Arnautovic.
Jordan: Abulaila; Obaid, Al-Arab, Nasib; Haddad, Al Rashdan, Al Rawabdeh, Taha; Tamari, Olwan, Fakhouri.
Prediction
Austria possess greater quality, experience and momentum heading into the contest and should control much of the game. While Jordan will be eager to mark their historic World Cup debut with a positive performance, Rangnick’s men are expected to have too much firepower.
Prediction: Austria 3-1 Jordan.
