By Ayman Hijleh

Jordan make their first World Cup appearance after nine previous unsuccessful qualifying attempts. The closest the national team came before was during the qualifiers for 2014, when they reached the intercontinental playoff but lost 5-0 on aggregate to Uruguay.

But this time the story was different. Jordan topped the group in the second round of the Asian qualifiers, collecting 13 points with four wins, one draw and one defeat. They then progressed to the third round, finishing second in Group B behind South Korea to secure direct qualification with a match to spare after a 3-0 victory over Oman. The forward Ali Olwan was the team’s top scorer in the qualifiers with nine goals.

The head coach, Jamal Sellami of Morocco, uses a 3-4-3 formation. Goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila anchors the side, while Yazan Al-Arab leads the back line alongside Abdallah Nasib and Mohammad Abualnadi. In midfield, Nizar Al-Rashdan and Noor Al-Rawabdeh provide stability, supported by the dynamic wing-backs Issam Al-Samiri on the right and Mohannad Abu Taha on the left. Sellami’s approach focuses on quick transitions to exploit the pace of star winger Mousa Al-Tamari.

Find out more about World Cup debutants Jordan in the full team guide …

By Andreas Hagenauer

Austria’s plan has been remarkably stable for years. Personnel have shifted here and there, but the spine has barely changed: Marcel Sabitzer in an attacking role, Nicolas Seiwald and Xaver Schlager in central midfield, and a defence built around Philipp Lienhart, Konrad Laimer and Stefan Posch. Continuity is one of their strengths.

The core principles remain press and stress. Austria want to stress opponents, force the pace of the game, win the ball back quickly and turn mistakes into chances. A few years ago that felt fresh and modern; now, high pressing and aggressive counterpressing are hardly revolutionary, and if the structure slips even slightly, the approach can expose a team badly. Austria, however, almost never lose that balance. They have absorbed coach Ralf Rangnick’s ideas to the point of reflex.

Learn more about Austria in our full team guide …

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the World Cup match between Austria and Jordan at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. Kick-off in this Group J game is 9pm local/12am EDT/5am BST/2pm AEST – or 6am CEST/7am EEST for those watching from the homelands of the competing teams.

Reigning world champions Argentina are widely expected to top the group that also includes Algeria but the remaining spot – or two – to progress to the knockouts is very much up for grabs.

The two sides meeting today in Santa Clara are perhaps among the first beneficiaries of the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams. Austria return to the grand stage for the first time since 1998 and for their eighth visit overall, while Jordan make their World Cup debut.

Austria’s 28-year absence from the showpiece event ended when they topped their Uefa qualifying group ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina and avoided the drama of the playoffs. Veteran striker Marko Arnautović was critical to the No 24-ranked side’s qualification with eight goals, while Marcel Sabitzer remains their main creative outlet. The high-intensity, manic press that has come to define coach Ralf Rangnick’s various reigns across clubs and country will be a feature as Austria seek to control possession and territory against the lowest-ranked side in Group J.

Jordan, on the other hand, have booked their spot at the World Cup for the first time with a gameplan centred around a solid defence and counterattacks. The No 65-ranked side began their march towards a global tournament debut when reaching the Asian Cup final for the first time in 2023 with a shock win over South Korea in the semis. Jordan paid the price for giving away three penalties in a 3-1 defeat by Qatar in the decider but carried their momentum into the World Cup qualifiers. Al-Nashama (The Chivalrous Ones) were especially impressive playing away from home as they booked their World Cup ticket with an automatic qualification spot when second in the group behind South Korea.

I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news – and the latest from the World Cup. In the meantime, get in touch with any questions, thoughts and predictions. You can shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social. Let’s get into it!