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Austria kicked off its participation in the 2026 World Cup with a 3-1 victory against Jordan this Wednesday at the , California, in the opening match of Group J.
Romano Schmid opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a shot that put the Austrians ahead, a result that both teams took to halftime.
The start of the second half brought the equalizer: Ali Olwan scored for Jordan in the 50th minute, making it 1-1 on the scoreboard.
Austria responded with three simultaneous substitutions in the 59th minute—Phillipp Mwene, Xaver Schlager, and David Alaba were replaced by Paul Wanner, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Kevin Danso—a change that revitalized the Central European team.
The goal that returned the advantage to Austria was the subject of a lengthy video assistant referee review: the goal by Marko Arnautović was disallowed in the 67th minute for a possible handball and again ruled out in the 68th minute for a foul, but was ultimately confirmed in the 70th minute after a double review, making it 2-1.
Arnautović had entered the field at halftime in place of Sasa Kalajdzic, who left the pitch injured in the 45th minute.
The third goal came in the 76th minute through an own goal by the Jordanian defender Y. Al Arab, finalizing the score at 3-1.
Marcel Sabitzer received a yellow card in the 77th minute, the only caution of the match.
In terms of statistics, Austria dominated possession with 63% compared to Jordan's 37%. However, the Jordanians were slightly superior in total shots—11 to 10—and in shots on goal—four to three—indicating a match that was more contested than the final score suggests.
With these three points, with the same score as Argentina, although trailing in goal difference (+2 to +3), after the Argentinians defeated Algeria 3-0 that same day with a hat-trick from Lionel Messi.
Jordan, making its debut in the World Cup history, and Algeria are left with zero points after the first matchday.
Austria's upcoming commitments in the group stage will be against at the AT&T Stadium and against at the Arrowhead Stadium, two matches that will determine whether the Austrians can advance to the next round of the tournament.
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