Austria defeats Jordan and achieves its first victory in World Cups after 36 years.

After 36 years without a win, Austria returned to victory in the World Cup, defeating debutants Jordan 3-1 in an electrifying match in San Francisco that left fans in ecstasy and propelled the Austrians to the top of Group J. The victory was sealed only in the dying moments, with a penalty converted by Marko Arnautovic in stoppage time, following a game full of nerves and twists, which even featured a dramatic own goal.

Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco hosted 68,527 spectators for the kickoff of Group J in the 2026 World Cup, with Austria facing a Jordan team making its debut in the world’s biggest football tournament. The scoring was opened in the 21st minute by Romano Schmid, who netted a stunning goal with a placed shot from outside the box — it was, in fact, the only shot on target from the Austrians in the first half. Jordan, far from being intimidated, immediately responded, with Ali Olwan heading the ball against the crossbar just two minutes later, showing that the Asian side came to compete for the result.

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A Jordanian turnaround was completed shortly after the start of the second half, with Olwan scoring a stunning goal in the 50th minute. In a classy individual move, the forward curled a shot into the far post, leaving the Austrian goalkeeper with no chance, thus etching his name in Jordanian football history as the country’s first goal in World Cups. The equalizer shook Austria, which only managed to respond after a triple substitution made by Ralf Rangnick. Arnautovic, who was introduced at halftime, even scored in the 67th minute, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review due to a handball by Stefan Posch in the build-up.

It took until the 76th minute for Austria to breathe a sigh of relief again: following a corner, defender Yazan Al Arab inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net, allowing the Europeans to take a 2-1 lead. Jordan felt the blow and could no longer trouble the Austrian defense, which controlled the game until the end. However, there was still more drama reserved for stoppage time: in the 12th minute of added time, VAR was called into action again, this time to award a penalty for a handball by Saleem Obaid, who blocked a shot from Arnautovic. The veteran Austrian did not falter and sealed the final score at 3-1.

This victory is of vital importance for Austria, which had not won a match in the World Cup since 1990 and returns to the competition after a 28-year absence. The result offers confidence to Ralf Rangnick’s team, but it also serves as a warning: the performance, despite the three goals, was far from brilliant and the level will need to be raised in the next game against the powerful Argentina, who arrive buoyed by Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria. “We knew it would be a difficult game. Jordan showed quality and did not make things easy for us. The important thing was to win and we managed to do that,” said Marko Arnautovic at the end of the match, highlighting the team’s fighting spirit.

On the Jordanian side, coach Hussein Ammouta praised his players’ commitment and highlighted the historic moment experienced by the nation: “This was an unforgettable game for Jordan. We showed courage and quality. Olwan’s goal will forever remain in the memory of our fans,” Ammouta said at the press conference.

With this victory, Austria takes the lead in Group J and heads into the clash with Argentina motivated, knowing it needs to improve, especially in offensive efficiency and defensive solidity. Meanwhile, Jordan leaves a positive impression in its World Cup debut and is now preparing to face Algeria, in a match where it hopes to earn its first points in World Cup history. A crucial round lies ahead, where the margin for error is zero and every goal could be decisive for the fate of the teams. The World Cup is heating up, and San Francisco was just the stage for the first major drama of this Group J.

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