Austria make their return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 when they face Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, a match that is Austria’s to lose on paper but that carries significance in the broader context of a Group J that also contains Argentina and Algeria. A win here sets Austria on course for a strong campaign. Jordan, competing in their first ever World Cup, arrive as genuine underdogs but with the confidence of a team that has surprised stronger opponents before.

Match Details

Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 — Group J, Matchday 1

Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026

Kick-off: 04:00 UTC (12:00 am ET / 5:00 am BST)

Venue: Levi’s Stadium (San Francisco Bay Area Stadium), Santa Clara, California, USA

Capacity: 68,500

How to Watch Austria vs Jordan Live

In the United Kingdom, Austria vs Jordan is available free on ITV and ITVX. In the United States the match airs on Fox Sports 1 and Telemundo. In Austria, ORF holds broadcast rights. Australian viewers can watch on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Austria: Back After 28 Years

Austria’s absence from the World Cup since 1998 has been one of European football’s most surprising stories given the quality of players the country has produced in the intervening years. David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Marcel Sabitzer, and Florian Grillitsch have all played for Austria during a generation that never quite translated its quality into qualifying success. The current squad, led by Manchester City and Bayern Munich contingents, is the team that finally broke the drought. Franco Foda and then Ralf Rangnick transformed the side’s defensive and pressing structure, and 2026 represents the harvest of that work.

Jordan: History at the Levi’s Stadium

Jordan’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup is the proudest moment in the history of the Jordanian Football Association. The Nashashibi Stadium in Amman erupted when the final qualification match confirmed their place, and the entire country has followed the build-up to this tournament with an intensity that small nations only experience on the most significant sporting occasions. Jordan are not here to participate, they are here to compete, and the compact defensive organisation their coach has built is a genuine platform for causing an upset.

Prediction

Austria are heavy favourites and the quality gap between the sides is significant. However, Austria’s inexperience at this level, 28 years without a World Cup and Jordan’s motivation as first-time participants could make this tighter than the odds suggest. Austria should win, but Jordan will make them work.

Our prediction: Austria 2-0 Jordan. A professional opening-day win for the Austrians, with the match decided in the second half.

This article will be updated with a full match report and highlights after the final whistle. Follow for live updates from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.