Jordan have never been here — that changes in June
A nation reaches its first World Cup; Austria arrive seasoned and favoured.
For the first time in their history, Jordan step onto football's biggest stage. No debutant gets an easy welcome — and the draw handed them Austria, a country playing its eighth World Cup, third-placed finishers back in 1954.
The Austrians come in humming. Three wins in four, the latest a 1-0 over Tunisia with Marcel Sabitzer on the scoresheet. Jordan's last five tell a harder tale: no victories, two draws, three defeats, the freshest a 0-2 against Colombia. Their matches have been the more open affairs; Rangnick's have stayed tight and low-scoring. The bookmakers point one way only, marking Austria clear favourites.
The quirk sits in the favourites' camp. A midfielder has been drafted in as late injury cover despite not featuring since a friendly in September 2023 — plucked from Germany's second tier after promotion last month.
Jordan have waited forever for this. Austria just want a clean start.
Written and fact-checked by our AI preview desk from live match data. Refreshed as kickoff nears.
