SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Austria won a World Cup game for the first time in 36 years with a 3-1 victory Tuesday over a Jordan team on debut at soccer’s premier global event.
An own goal from a corner kick that deflected off Jordanian defender Yazan Al Arab gave Austria a 2-1 lead in the 76th minute. Veteran striker Marko Arnautovic’s penalty kick deep in stoppage team extended the margin.
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Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager catches the ball during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jordan's Yazan Alarab, right, scores on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Austria in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) punches the ball against Jordan's Mousa Altamari (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Austria and Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
Austria players celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Austria's Marko Arnautovic, front, and Nicolas Seiwald celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
“This was a very intense evening, sometimes a little too intense,” Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said. “Jordan did an amazing job and made it very difficult for us. At the end of the day, we deserved to win but it was very difficult.”
The Group J game between a Jordanian team at the World Cup for the first time and an Austria squad back on soccer's biggest stage after missing the last six tournaments featured plenty of excitement.
It peaked in a stretch in the second half that featured an equalizer by Jordan and two balls sent into the net off corner kicks by Austria — with only one of those counting.
The 37-year-old Arnautovic had appeared to give Austria the lead when he fired in after a misplay by Jordanian goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila. But the decision went to a VAR review and the referee called a hand ball on Stefan Posch in the lead up.
Austria got another corner kick shortly after the second-half hydration break and the took a 2-1 lead on Al Arab's own goal.
That proved to be the difference for Austria, which earned its first win at the World Cup since beating the United States in a group-stage match in 1990. Jordan fell short in its attempt to become the first country to win its World Cup debut game since Senegal did it in 2002 against defending-champion France.
“No one was expecting us to be that bold, to be that proactive and to be that capable of benefiting from the available opportunities,” Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said. “This was exactly the message we wanted to convey.”
Romano Schmid scored in the 20th minute for Austria when he capped off an impressive buildup that put the Jordanian defense on its heels. Xaver Schlager fed a pass to Schmid, who hit a perfectly struck right-foot shot from the edge of the area into the top corner of the net.
Ali Olwan tied it for Jordan in the 50th when made a long run into the box on a counterattack and beat Alexander Schlager with a right-foot shot that delighted the large contingent of Jordanian fans.
Posch injured his jaw later in the match and his status going ahead is in doubt.
Jordan will return to Santa Clara for its second match next Monday against Algeria, which lost 3-0 to Argentina in the first Group J match. Austria will face Lionel Messi and Argentina in the Dallas area that same day.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager catches the ball during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jordan's Yazan Alarab, right, scores on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match against Austria in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager (1) punches the ball against Jordan's Mousa Altamari (10) during the World Cup Group J soccer match between Austria and Jordan in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)
Austria players celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Austria's Marko Arnautovic, front, and Nicolas Seiwald celebrate after Jordan's Yazan Alarab scored on his own goal during the World Cup Group J soccer match in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. and South Korean militaries wrapped up their annual drill six days earlier than initially scheduled on Friday in a conciliatory gesture toward North Korea, though the North said the step isn't enough to persuade it to return to talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier abruptly ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise just before it began Monday. Trump cited what he described as a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to support him over the war in Iran.
South Korea's military said the Ulchi Freedom Shield, a command post exercise with the U.S., ended on Friday.
This month's exercise was initially reportedly scheduled to be held in two phases for 11 days in simulation of North Korean attacks — the first part until Friday on defensive operations and the second part until Aug. 27 on counteroffensive operations. North Korea is extremely sensitive to the second phase.
South Korea and the U.S. had also planned to hold 14 joint field training exercises during the Ulchi Freedom Shield period. But they've agreed to halve them as well, according to South Korea's military.
Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, brushed aside Trump’s overture on Wednesday, saying that reducing the duration and size of the drills won't change their “provocative, aggressive nature.”
The next day, North Korea fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea, apparently following through with its previous threat to respond to the U.S.-South Korean drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
The U.S. Pacific Command said the events didn't pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies. The command said the U.S. remains committed to the defense of the U.S. homeland and its allies in the region.
Kim Yo Jong's statement dampened hopes for an early resumption of talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un, whose earlier nuclear diplomacy collapsed in 2019. Kim Jong Un has used the diplomatic stalemate to increase his leverage by modernizing his nuclear and missile arsenals and aligning with Russia over its war against Ukraine. Kim Jong Un suggested last year that he won't return to talks unless the U.S. drops its demand for North Korean denuclearization as a precondition for diplomacy.
Kim Yo Jong still used relatively measured language, avoided typical harsh North Korean rhetoric and touched upon what she called an “excellent” relationship between her brother and Trump. This suggests North Korea doesn't want to completely shut the door for future talks and may seek to win bigger U.S. concessions, such as international recognition as a nuclear state and broad sanctions relief.
With its supply of ammunition and troops to Russia, North Korea is likely receiving economic and military assistance in return, and its expanding ties with Russia provides it with leverage to ask for greater support from China, its biggest trading partner.
“After this strategic play has run its course, Kim may seek further economic and reputational benefits from Washington,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “But that will probably be after the U.S. midterm elections when Trump is expected to be in a weaker domestic political position and in search of headline-grabbing foreign policies.”
Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that Kim Yo Jong's statement showed North Korea's position that a personal relationship between her brother and Trump “can't be a factor that moves current North Korean-U.S. relations.” He said Kim Yo Jong likely aimed to head off speculation that Trump's move can restore diplomacy so as not to fully take the blame when it doesn't happen.
Kim Yo Jong denied Trump’s claim that Kim Jong Un had responded to his request for a conversation. When asked by reporters Wednesday if he would be meeting with Kim Jong Un this year, Trump said that “Yeah, I will be.”
The Ulchi Freedom Shield is one of the main military exercises conducted by the U.S. and South Korea annually to enhance their ability to cope with potential North Korean aggression. Its downsizing has caused worries about joint U.S.-South Korean readiness.
U.S. military vehicles and Black Hawk helicopters are parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
U.S. Apache helicopters are parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
U.S. military vehicles are parked at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Hong Ki-won/Yonhap via AP)
A TV screen shows a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The U.S. Army's armored vehicles gather to cross a river at a training field in Yeoncheon, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korea army soldiers take part in an anti-terror drill as a part of the Ulchi Freedom Shield military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
