Austria
Jordan
Group J concludes its opening round in the early hours at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, where Austria make their first World Cup appearance since 1998 against a Jordan side making their very first appearance in the finals. The contrast could barely be more stark — Austria arrive as one of Europe's more underrated sides, under the meticulous management of Ralf Rangnick and with genuine knockout stage ambitions. Jordan arrive as complete tournament debutants, on a five-game winless run, missing their top scorer, and facing the daunting prospect of opening their World Cup with Austria before then playing Argentina and Algeria. Both sides have their own reasons to make this count.
Austria — Die Burschen
Rangnick lines up in a 4-2-3-1, with Alexander Schlager in goal behind a back four of Posch, Alaba, Lienhart and Laimer. David Alaba — returning from a long-term knee injury that ruled him out of much of the club season at Real Madrid — is expected to start despite fitness concerns, and his experience and leadership in the heart of the back four is simply too important to leave out. The double pivot of Xaver Schlager and Seiwald provides the defensive structure and midfield energy, with Seiwald in particular one of the most underrated holding midfielders in European football.
In the advanced positions, Marcel Sabitzer operates on the left, Romano Schmid on the right, and the tireless Michael Gregoritsch through the middle — the man whose 77th-minute equaliser against Bosnia in qualifying sent Austria to this tournament. Up front, the talismanic Marko Arnautovic leads the line. At 37, he is well past his peak but remains a handful for defenders and arrives in decent personal form. The notable absence is Christoph Baumgartner, ruled out through injury — a significant creative loss for Rangnick's side.
Austria's qualification was superb — six wins, one draw, one defeat from their European group, finishing above France in the process. Their warm-up form has been equally encouraging: a stunning 5-1 win over Ghana, followed by tight 1-0 victories over South Korea and Tunisia. They have not reached the World Cup knockout stages since 1954 — and this is the most talented, best-coached Austrian squad in a generation. A win here would be the ideal launchpad before the Argentina and Algeria tests that follow.
Jordan — The Chivalrous Ones
Jamal Sellami sets up in a 5-3-2, with Abulaila in goal behind a back five of M.Taha, Obaid, Arab, Nasib and Haddad. The midfield three of Mardahi, Rashdan and Rawabdeh is disciplined and compact, while Ali Olwan and Mousa Tamari partner up front.
The biggest blow to Jordan's preparations has been the absence of Yazan Al-Naimat — their top scorer with eight goals during World Cup qualifying — who has been ruled out since December with injury. His absence strips Jordan of their most dangerous attacking outlet at the worst possible time. Tamari, the Sporting CP forward, becomes the primary threat in his place — 14 international goals and a player with genuine top-level club experience — but he is a very different type to Al-Naimat and Jordan's attacking plan has had to be rebuilt around him.
Jordan's build-up form has been poor — four friendlies without a win, two draws and two defeats, including a loss to Serbia. Their five-match winless run represents the kind of momentum that heading into a World Cup opener against a quality opponent is deeply concerning. The Arab Cup run to the final earlier this year — losing only narrowly to Morocco after extra time — showed what this squad is capable of at its best, but that version of Jordan feels some way away from what has been seen since.
The occasion itself will be enormous for Jordanian football. This is a country that has never before appeared at a World Cup finals — and simply being here, whatever happens, is a historic achievement that should not be understated.
Predicted Lineups
Key Battle
Marcel Sabitzer vs Jordan's right side. Sabitzer operating on Austria's left will look to exploit the space behind Jordan's right wing-back and drive into the areas where he can combine with Arnautovic and Gregoritsch. Sabitzer is one of the most dynamic players in this Austrian squad — quick, technically excellent and capable of arriving late to score from midfield positions. If Jordan's defensive shape holds and their wing-backs stay disciplined, they can limit the damage. But Sabitzer finding pockets and running at a back five that has not been tested at this level before is Austria's most reliable route to goal.
Prediction
Austria are the significantly better team and should win comfortably. Jordan's poor recent form, the absence of Al-Naimat and the sheer step up in quality they face makes this a very difficult assignment. Rangnick's side are organised, well-drilled and hungry to announce themselves at a World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Expect Austria to be professional and controlled — and Arnautovic, as always, to make sure everyone knows he turned up.
Austria 3–0 Jordan — Arnautovic, Sabitzer, Gregoritsch
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