June 16, Kathmandu – Austria kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a victory. In the opening match held on Wednesday at the San Francisco Bay Area stadium in California, USA, Austria defeated Jordan 3-1. Goals from Romano Schmid and Marko Arnautovic, each scoring once, along with an own goal gifted to Austria, secured the win.
Romano put Austria ahead in the 20th minute. However, Jordan’s Ali Alwan equalized in the 50th minute. Austria regained the lead in the 76th minute after Jordan’s Yazaan Alarab scored an own goal. During injury time in the second half, a handball by a Jordanian player inside the box awarded Austria a penalty, which Marko Arnautovic converted to seal the victory.
With this win, Austria collected 3 points and stands second in Group J. Argentina, also with 3 points, leads the group on goal difference. Jordan and Algeria remain without points. Austria is making their eighth World Cup appearance; their best finish was third place in the 1954 tournament. Having last participated in 1998, Austria has returned to the World Cup stage after 28 years. Meanwhile, Asian nation Jordan is making its World Cup debut.
