Austria wrapped up another action-packed day at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Jordan in the first-ever meeting between the two nations.

Although Jordan entered the match as clear underdogs, it was the Middle Eastern side that nearly struck first. In the 17th minute, Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager was forced into a superb save to deny Al-Fakhouri, whose powerful effort from the edge of the penalty area appeared destined for the top corner.

Austria responded ruthlessly just four minutes later. Receiving the ball just outside the box, Romano Schmid unleashed a brilliant strike into the upper-right corner to give Ralf Rangnick's side a 1-0 lead with their first clear opportunity of the evening.

Jordan refused to back down and came close to an equaliser soon after. Following a corner kick, Olwan rose highest in the area but saw his header crash against the crossbar. Moments later, the same player tested Schlager again with a powerful effort, while Al-Taamari's follow-up attempt was heroically blocked by an Austrian defender.

The turning point came during the interval. Unimpressed by the limited impact of Sasa Kalajdzic, head coach Ralf Rangnick introduced Austria's all-time leading goalscorer, Marko Arnautović, in a move that would ultimately decide the contest.

The second half began in dramatic fashion as Jordan finally found the breakthrough they deserved. After winning possession high up the pitch, Olwan drove into the penalty area and curled a superb finish into the far corner, with the ball bouncing in off the post to level the score at 1-1.

Then came the Arnautović show. The veteran forward thought he had restored Austria's lead after capitalising on a goalkeeping error from a corner kick. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out due to a handball by Stefan Posch in the build-up.

Undeterred, Austria continued to press. In the 76th minute, a dangerous corner delivered by Marcel Sabitzer caused chaos inside the six-yard box, and defender Al-Arab inadvertently headed the ball into his own net while challenging Arnautović, handing the Europeans a crucial 2-1 advantage.

World Cup 2026

Austria - Jordan 3:1 (1:0)
Goals: Schmid R., 21 (1:0); Olwan, 50 (1:1); Al-Arab, 76 (own goal) (2:1); Arnautovic, 102 (penalty) (3:1)

Austria: Schlager A.; Posch; Alaba (Danso, 59); Lienhart; Mwene (Wanner P., 59); Schlager X. (Chukwuemeka C., 59); Seiwald N.; Sabitzer; Schmid R. (Wimmer P., 83); Laimer; Kalajdzic (Arnautovic, 46)
Substitution: Arnautovic (from 46); Danso (from 59); Chukwuemeka C. (from 59); Wanner P. (from 59); Wimmer P. (from 83)
Bench: Wiegele; Pentz; Svoboda; Affengruber; Friedl; Grillitsch; Prass; Schöpf; Baumgartner; Gregoritsch

Jordan: Abulaila; Haddad (Al-Mardi, 81); Nasib (Al-Rosan, 81); Al-Arab; Abualnadi (Obaid, 72); Abu Taha; Al-Rashdan; Al-Rawabdeh; Al-Tamari (Al-Dawoud, 88); Al-Fakhouri (Azaizeh, 88); Olwan
Substitution: Obaid (from 72); Al-Rosan (from 81); Al-Mardi (from 81); Al-Dawoud (from 88); Azaizeh (from 88)
Bench: Bani Attiah; Al-Fakhouri; Badawi; Abu Dahab; Abu Hasheesh; Jamous; Ayed; Saadeh; Shararh; Sabra I.