Austria's national football team will face defending champions Argentina, Algeria, and Jordan at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place on Friday in Washington. Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal drew Austria into Group J, whose matches will be played in Kansas City, Santa Clara (near San Francisco), and Dallas. The exact venues and kick-off times will be announced on Saturday evening.

It is already confirmed that Austria's first World Cup match after a 28-year absence will take place on June 16 against Jordan – either in Kansas City or Santa Clara. The next matches are on June 22 in Arlington or Santa Clara against Argentina, and on June 27 in Kansas City or Dallas against Algeria.

Third duel with Argentina

Austria has played Argentina twice before, both matches as friendlies – a 1-5 defeat in Vienna in 1980 and a 1-1 draw in the Prater stadium ten years later. The South Americans are considered one of the top favorites for the World Cup and will likely field Lionel Messi, although the 38-year-old has not yet officially committed to the tournament.

There has only been one encounter with Algeria so far – and its result led to one of the darkest chapters in Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) history. Austria beat the North Africans 2-0 at the 1982 World Cup in Spain and then, in a 1-0 defeat against Germany, made a non-aggression pact with the eventual finalists. As a result, both the Austrian and German national teams advanced, while Algeria was eliminated. The world spoke of the"Disgrace of Gijón."