Austria start their FIFA World Cup campaign with 3-1 win over Jordan

Austria began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over debutants Jordan in San Francisco on Tuesday (local time).

Austria began their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over debutants Jordan in San Francisco on Tuesday (local time). Making their first World Cup appearance since 1998, Austria took the lead in the first half through a brilliant long-range goal from Romano Schmid in the 21st minute. Austria kept possession and moved the ball through midfield before Schmid received it at the edge of the box and curled a precise shot into the far corner, giving the goalkeeper no chance.

It was in the 50th minute when Jordan equalised and scored their first-ever World Cup goal. A pass was played into space from deep, and Ali Olwan ran onto it before cutting inside. Stefan Posch did not close him down, allowing him to enter the box. Olwan then curled a brilliant shot into the far corner, which went in off the post. The match remained level until late on, when Austria's pressure from set-pieces proved decisive. Marko Arnautovic briefly thought he had restored the lead, but his effort was ruled out by VAR for a handball in the build-up.

Soon after, another corner caused chaos in the Jordan penalty area, with the ball deflecting off Yazan Al-Arab and into the net for an unfortunate own goal. Deep into stoppage time, Jordan's hopes faded further when Salim Obaid was penalised for handling the ball while attempting to block a shot. Arnautovic stepped up and converted the resulting penalty with confidence, sealing the win for Austria in their opening World Cup fixture.

Notably, the fixture marked the first time Austria faced a nation from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) at the World Cup, according to ESPN. (ANI)