Austria returned to the FIFA World Cup after a 28-year absence by beating debutants Jordan 3-1 on June 16, 2026. The match took place at a stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area, California [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Romano Schmid scored the opening goal for Austria in the 20th or 21st minute with a long-range shot to give his team an early lead [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5]. Jordan quickly responded five minutes after halftime when striker Ali Olwan scored the country's first ever World Cup goal, leveling the score at 1-1 [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5].
Marko Arnautovic thought he had put Austria ahead again in the 67th or 69th minute, but his goal was disallowed after a VAR review determined a teammate committed a handball in the buildup [1, 2, 3, 6, 4].
Austria regained the lead in the 76th minute when Jordan's Yazan Al-Arab deflected an own goal off a Marcel Sabitzer corner kick, making it 2-1 for Austria [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5].
Deep into stoppage time, Marko Arnautovic scored a penalty awarded after a Jordan handball, sealing a 3-1 victory for Austria [1, 2, 3, 6, 4, 5].
This win places Austria second in Group J behind Argentina, while Jordan holds third place and Algeria last in the group standings [6, 5]. The 2026 World Cup is jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico and runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026 [6, 5].
