Austria vs Jordan predictions and betting tips – Backing a comfortable Austria win and the cards to come out

Austria are back at the World Cup for the first time since 1998, and they could hardly have asked for a kinder opener than World Cup debutants Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a 5am UK kick-off on Wednesday morning, live on the BBC.

Group J isn’t easy with Argentina and Algeria also in it, so this is close to must-win for both sides.

Austria are overwhelming favourites at 1/3 and the gap in class is huge, but with Jordan set up to sit deep and frustrate I’m not convinced this turns into a cricket score, so my bets are built around a controlled, professional Austria win rather than a rout.

• Austria to win and under 3.5 match goals – 11/10 with SkyBet
• Marcel Sabitzer to score anytime – 7/4 with SkyBet
• Amer Jamous to be booked – 2/1 with Coral

Austria vs Jordan head to head overview

• Date: Wednesday 17 June 2026 (Tuesday 16 June local time)
• Kick-off: 5am UK time (9pm local, Tuesday)
• Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, San Francisco Bay Area
• Where to watch: BBC
• Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
• Last meeting: Never played each other before.
• Favourite to win: Austria at 1/3 with bet365

Austria vs Jordan predicted lineups

• Austria expected lineup: Pentz, Posch, Danso, Alaba, Mwene, Laimer, Seiwald, Wimmer, Sabitzer, Schmid, Arnautovic
• Jordan expected lineup: Abulaila, Al-Arab, Haddad, Nasib, Al-Rawabdeh, Sadeh, Jamous, Al-Rashdan, Al-Taamari, Olwan, Abu Zrayq

Austria vs Jordan predictions

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria arrive in excellent shape. They qualified automatically through UEFA with six wins from eight, scoring 22 and conceding just four, and they hammered Ghana 5-0 in a warm-up in March.

Captain David Alaba marshals the back line, Konrad Laimer and Marcel Sabitzer drive a high-energy midfield, and 37-year-old record scorer Marko Arnautovic still leads the line, though Rangnick will be careful with his minutes across a condensed schedule.

Jordan are a great story, reaching their first ever World Cup, but they come into this on the back foot.

Their talisman, striker Yazan Al-Naimat, who scored eight of their goals in qualifying, is out for the tournament with a knee injury and manager Jamal Sellami has admitted he cannot be replaced.

They warmed up with a 2-0 loss to Colombia and have modelled themselves on Morocco’s 2022 run, sitting in a compact defensive block and looking to spring Rennes winger Musa Al-Taamari on the counter.

It’s a sound plan, but against Austria’s pressing it’s going to be a long night.

Austria vs Jordan betting tips

Here are my three bets for the game.

Austria to control it without going overboard

Everything points to an Austria win here, the only question is the margin. They’ve got the better players in every area of the pitch, Jordan are without their main striker, and Rangnick’s side conceded just four goals in their entire qualifying campaign. This should be a comfortable night’s work.

But I’m not chasing a hatful of goals. Jordan will pack their box, drop into a back five and make Austria work for every opening. There’s also a real chance Austria ease off once they’re two or three to the good with Argentina looming later in the group.

Backing the win with under 3.5 goals attached gives me a controlled 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 or 3-0 win, which covers the most likely outcomes, and more than doubles the skinny straight-win price.

Bet on Austria to win and under 3.5 match goals at 11/10 with SkyBet

Sabitzer to pull the strings and find the net

With Jordan sitting deep, the man most likely to hurt them is the one with the quality to unlock a packed defence.

Marcel Sabitzer has 26 goals in 98 caps for Austria and operates as the creative hub just behind Arnautovic, arriving late into the box and a threat from set pieces against a side that will be defending plenty of them.

He’s exactly the profile that thrives against a low block, and at 7/4 for a midfielder of his quality against the weakest defence Austria will face in this group, there’s value in his anytime price.

Bet on Marcel Sabitzer to score anytime at 7/4 with SkyBet

Jamous to feel the heat in midfield

This is the bet I like most as a bit of value. Amer Jamous was sent off in the closing stages of Jordan’s final warm-up against Colombia a week ago, and now he steps into a game where his side will spend almost the entire 90 minutes chasing the ball.

Jordan’s whole plan is to sit in and soak up pressure, which means their midfielders are constantly making last-ditch challenges and tactical fouls to break up Austria’s rhythm.

That’s the perfect storm for a booking and at 2/1 Jamous catching the eye of the referee looks a smart play.

Bet on Amer Jamous to be booked at 2/1 with Coral

Austria vs Jordan latest odds

Find the latest Austria vs Jordan betting odds here. All odds are provided by our recommended football bookmakers and are subject to change.

More World Cup 2026 predictions

I’ve got plenty more predictions covering World Cup 2026 and there are tips and previews for every game.

Find more predictions and betting tips from our expert punters in our match preview overview.

Important historical facts about Austria and Jordan for betting

• This is the first ever meeting between Austria and Jordan.
• This is Austria’s first World Cup since France 1998, when they were knocked out at the group stage.
• Jordan are making their World Cup debut, having reached the finals for the first time in their history.
• Austria scored 22 goals and conceded just four across their eight World Cup qualifiers.
• Jordan scored 32 goals in qualifying, their highest ever tally, but eight of those came from the injured Yazan Al-Naimat.
• Ali Olwan was the third-highest scorer across all of Asian qualifying with nine goals, including a hat-trick in Jordan’s final qualifier.

Austria have the quality and the system to make a winning start, and I expect a professional, controlled night’s work rather than a goal fest.

About the author

Dave Potter

Dave Potter is the founder of GYTO and has a huge following on X. Dave Potter studies the form and provides daily horse racing tips and football predictions.

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