Austria return from long World Cup absence with nervy 3-1 win over Jordan

A second-half own goal and a last-gasp penalty saw the European side claim the three points

FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group J - Austria v Jordan - San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California, US - Jun 16, 2026 Austria's Marko Arnautovic celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Austria marked their return to the World Cup after a 28-year absence with a tense 3-1 win over debutants Jordan in their Group J opener on Tuesday, relying on a second-half own goal and a last-gasp penalty to claim the three points.

Austria took the lead on 20 minutes through a Romano Schmid thunderbolt, but were pegged back five minutes after the break when striker Ali Olwan found space in the area and fired a sizzling shot inside the far post.

Austria's veteran target man Marko Arnautovic slammed a low shot into the net from a goalmouth scramble in the 69th minute but it was ruled out for handball by teammate Stefan Posch following a VAR review.

Seven minutes later, though, Austria were celebrating again as Yazan Al‑Arab deflected a Marcel Sabitzer corner into his own net, before Arnautovic slotted home a penalty deep into stoppage time after Saleem Obeid was penalised for handball.