Austria Vs. Jordania: Austria Returns After 28 Years With 4-2-3-1

austria vs. jordania opens with two firsts. Austria is back at the World Cup after 28 years, and Jordania arrives for its debut. The match gives both sides a rare stage, but the contrast is sharper for Austria, which comes in with a system built over years under Ralf Rangnick.

Ralf Rangnick’s Austria Setup

Austria enters with a five-match unbeaten run and a clear identity built on pressure. Rangnick has shaped that approach over years, and the squad traveling to the tournament includes 25 futbolistas.

David Alaba, Konrad Laimer, Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic are among the players expected to carry that structure into the match. Austria’s possible shape is 4-2-3-1, with Patrick Pentz, Stefan Posch, Kevin Danso, Alaba, Phillipp Mwene, Nicolas Seiwald, Laimer, Xaver Schlager, Patrick Wimmer, Sabitzer and Arnautovic listed in the projected XI.

Baumgartner’s Absence

Christoph Baumgartner’s right thigh tear on 1 June cut into the group before the tournament even began. Rangnick chose not to call up a replacement, leaving Austria to move forward with the same 25-player group rather than reshaping the roster.

That decision keeps the focus on the core rather than a late substitute. It also places more pressure on the players already named in the setup, especially the midfield and attacking line that must supply the chances in a system defined by tempo and pressing.

Jordania’s First World Cup

Jordania’s side carries a different milestone. It is appearing in the tournament for the first time, and it arrives after a stretch that has not produced a win since December.

That run makes Austria the steadier side on paper, even before the opener starts. David Alaba put the scale of the moment plainly: “Somos una selección que sueña a lo grande”.

For Austria, the return after 28 years is about more than ending the wait. It is also the first chance to show whether Rangnick’s long-developed pressure game can translate onto the World Cup stage with a thin margin for error and no replacement for Baumgartner.