Santa Clara, June 16 (IANS) Austria begin their World Cup campaign against tournament debutants Jordan at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Wednesday, with both sides eager to make a positive start in Group J. While defending champions Argentina are favourites to top the group, the race for the second automatic qualification spot is expected to be fiercely contested, making an opening victory crucial.

Austria return to the World Cup for the first time since 1998 but have suffered a setback with attacking midfielder Christoph Baumgartner ruled out by a thigh injury. Dejan Ljubicic has replaced him in the squad, while captain David Alaba has recovered from a minor muscle issue and is fit to start. Konrad Laimer is also available despite his recent friendly red card, which does not apply to tournament fixtures.

Jordan’s preparations have also been disrupted by injuries. Leading striker Yazan Al Naimat misses the tournament, while Ibrahim Sabra has withdrawn from the squad, paving the way for Mohammad Taha’s inclusion. With their primary goalscorer unavailable, head coach Jamal Sellami is expected to build his attack around Mousa Tamari, alongside Ali Olwan and Odeh Fakhoury in a fluid front three.

How to watch Austria vs Jordan live in India

Live streaming and live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 football matches will be available on the Zee5 platform and app in India. A subscription will be needed.

Live telecast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be available on the Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2, and Unite8 Sports 2 HD TV channels in India.

Key details

Date and kick-off time: Wednesday, June 17, 9:30 AM (IST)

Venue: San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

Referee: Dahane Beida

Squads:

Austria-

Goalkeepers: Patrick Pentz, Alexander Schlager, Florian Wiegele

Defenders: David Affengruber, David Alaba, Kevin Danso, Marco Friedl, Philipp Lienhart, Phillipp Mwene, Stefan Posch, Alexander Prass, Michael Svoboda

Midfielders: Christoph Baumgartner, Carney Chukwuemeka, Florian Grillitsch, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer, Xaver Schlager, Nicolas Seiwald, Romano Schmid, Alessandro Schöpf, Paul Wanner, Patrick Wimmer

Forwards: Marko Arnautovic, Michael Gregoritsch, Sasa Kalajdzic

Jordan-

Goalkeepers: Yazid Abulaila, Abdallah Al Fakhouri, Nour Bani Attiah

Defenders: Mohammad Abualnadi, Husam Abu Dahab, Mohammad Abu Hashish, Yazan Al Arab, Abdallah Nasib, Saleem Obaid, Ehsan Haddad, Saed Al-Rosan, Anas Banawi, Mohannad Abu Taha

Midfielders: Mohammad Al Dawoud, Nizar Al Rashdan, Noor Al Rawabdeh, Rajaei Ayed, Amer Jamous, Ibrahim Sadeh, Mahmoud Al-Mardi

Forwards: Mousa Al Tamari, Odeh Al-Fakhouri, Mohammad Abu Zrayq, Ali Azaizeh, Ali Olwan, Ibrahim Sabra

–IANS

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