Austria
Austria will return to the world cup finals for the first time since 1998 when they compete in Group J alongside Argentina, Algeria & Jordan.
It was a superb qualifying campaign for Austria in UEFA Qualification Group H. They topped the Group with 19 points from a possible 24 to finish 2 points ahead of Bosnia. The sole defeat came in Romania and the campaign was built on a strong defence conceding just 4 goals.
Former Man Utd manager Ralf Rangnick is the man who has created a team that has risen to 24th in the latest FIFA World Rankings and they will be keen to take three points here with tougher looking matches against Argentina & Algeria ahead.
They will start the campaign on a 5 match unbeaten run and on a three game winning run after beating Ghana (5-1) South Korea (1-0) and finishing with 1-0 win over Tunisia in Vienna on 1st June.
Injuries & Team News
Austria were dealt a major blow before the tournament with RB Leipzig midfielder Christoph Baumgartner ruled out of the tournament with injury, he was replaced in the squad by Dejan Ljubicic
David Alaba has had another injury ravaged season with Real Madrid and it is unsure whether he will start this match in San Francisco.
Patrick Wimmer & Florian Grillitsch are also doubtful after picking up injuries in the warm up fixtures.
It will be an experienced starting side named by Rangnick with Marcel Sabitzer, Marco Arnautovic, Konrad Laimer & Grillitsch all having made over 50 Appearances for Austria
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-0 vs Tunisia | W W W W W W |
Predicted Line-Up
Austria (4-2-3-1)
A Schlager; Laimer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene; X Schalger, Seiwald; Schmid, Sabitzer, Gregoritsch; Arnautovic
Jordan
Jordan are a surprise qualifier for the 2026 World Cup and will be participating at their first ever World Cup in North America.
They Qualified from Round 3 of Asian qualifiying finishing as runner-up to South Korea in Group A. They had a record of four wins, four draws and 2 home defeats to South Korea & Iraq. They conceded just 8 goals.
Jordan will be regarded as the weakest side in Group J and they might find the step up in class too tough to deal with. Earning a point from this group would be regarded as success.
Since qualifying for the world cup they have played in the “Arab Cup” and made it to the final where they were beaten 3-2 by Morocco after extra time in Qatar.
Leading into the World Cup they have played four friendly internationals, drawing with Costa Rica (2-2) & Nigeria (2-2) and losing to Switzerland (4-1) & Colombia (2-0)
Injuries & Team News
Ibrahim Sabra withdrew from the squad and was replaced by Mohammad Taha, while Yazan Al Naimat – who scored eight goals during World Cup qualifying – is not involved due to an injury that has ruled him out since December.
In Al Naimat’s absence, Mousa Tamari, Ali Olwan and Odeh Fakhoury are likely to start as the front three in Sellami’s 3-4-3 system.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 0-2 vs Colombia | W L D D L L |
Predicted Line-Up
Jordan (3-4-3)
Abulaila; Obaid, Al-Arab, Nasib; Haddad, Al Rashdan, Al Rawabdeh, Taha; Tamari, Olwan, Fakhouri
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Austria Win | 4/11 (1.36) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 4/1 (5.00) | Dream Vegas |
| Jordan Win | 8/1 (9.00) | 247Bet |
Prediction
Austria 2-0 Jordan
Austria should be able to claim a long awaited world cup victory having too much class for Jordan,