Austria beats Jordan 3-1 in World Cup return after 28 years

Austria opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over tournament debutant Jordan in Group J in the San Francisco Bay Area, ending a 28-year absence from the finals with three points. Romano Schmid put Austria ahead in the 21st minute, but Ali Olwan equalized early in the second half with Jordan’s first World Cup goal. Substitute Marko Arnautovic changed the match after halftime: a goal of his was overturned for handball in the buildup, but Austria regained the lead in the 77th minute when Yazan Al-Arab turned Stefan Posch’s corner into his own net. Arnautovic then converted a penalty deep in stoppage time after a VAR review.