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World Cup debutants Jordan face a daunting challenge when they take on Austria at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
The Austrians possess a clear edge in talent, experience, and depth, making this one of the most lopsided matchups of the opening round. Anything other than an Austrian victory would rank among the tournament's biggest shocks, while Jordan's realistic goal is simply to stay competitive and keep the scoreline respectable.
Here are my Austria vs. Jordan predictionsand World Cup picks for Wednesday, June 17, as the kickoff is scheduled for midnight ET.
This return from Kalshi is excellent value, and I'm not going to pass it up. Jordan's first-ever appearance at a World Cup is expected to generate plenty of excitement back home, but it will also expose the significant gap in quality between the two sides.
Austria have won six of their last eight competitive matches. In the friendlies they played after securing qualification, they also looked difficult to break down, beating fellow World Cup participants Ghana 5-1, South Korea 1-0, and Tunisia 1-0.
Jordan, meanwhile, struggled to find form, scoring just once across two friendlies this summer. They suffered a 4-1 defeat to Switzerland and a 2-0 loss to Colombia, leaving many questions unanswered about their true level.
The experience and quality of Austria's star players, David Alaba, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer, and Marko Arnautovic, put them comfortably above Jordan. I'm expecting them to kick off their World Cup campaign with a convincing performance in Santa Clara tonight.
When given the opportunity, Austria are ruthless in front of the goal. Ralf Rangnick's men show little mercy to weaker opponents, as they demonstrated against San Marino in the European qualifiers, winning 10-0.
The friendly against Ghana at the end of March provides another example. Austria ran out 5-1 winners against the Black Stars. My point is that when they sense vulnerability, the Austrians are difficult to stop.
Jordan struggled against Switzerland, who scored four goals against them less than three weeks ago. I'd compare Austria's attacking firepower to that of the Swiss. I expect plenty of goals in this match, and I'll be backing Over 2.5 goals.
Marko Arnautovic has scored in two of his last three competitive appearances for Austria. Despite being 37, the striker arrives at the World Cup with respectable numbers at club level, having scored 10 goals in 32 appearances for Red Star Belgrade.
Rangnick is expected to start him against Jordan, and the quality service provided by Michael Gregoritsch and Marcel Sabitzer could be all Arnautovic needs to get on the scoresheet. Jordan look vulnerable defensively and may struggle to cope with Austria's attacking threat.
Austria (4-2-3-1):Schlager, Laimer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene, Seiwald, Schlager, Schmid, Sabitzer, Gregoritsch, Arnautovic.
Jordan (3-4-3):Abulaila, Arab, Obaid, Nasib, Haddad, Rashdan, Rawabdeh, Taha, Tamari, Olwan, Fakhoury.
Austria:None.
Jordan:None.
No chance it rains and a temperature of 84° throughout the event.
| Austria |
Jordan |
|
| -270 |
Moneyline |
+809 |
| +456 |
Draw |
+456 |
| Over 2.5 (-133) |
Total |
Under 2.5 (+127) |
Odds courtesy of Kalshi.
Check out FIFA's official 2026 World Cup website for more information.
| Location |
Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA |
|---|---|
| Date |
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 |
| Time |
12 a.m. ET |
| TV |
FS1 |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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