Football World Cup 2026: Times for Austria's Group Matches Set

Austria's national football team will play the three group matches at the Football World Cup 2026 in the USA, Mexico, and Canada in three different stadiums. ÖFB record goal scorer Marko Arnautovic and Co. will kick off on June 17 (06:00) in San Francisco against Jordan. The highlight against defending champion Argentina with Lionel Messi follows on June 22 (19:00) in Dallas. The final match will be against Algeria on June 28 (04:00/all times CET) in Kansas City.

"Of course, we would have preferred it differently, but basically, a World Cup is not a wish concert. We accept it as it was allocated to us," said Bernhard Neuhold, Managing Director of ÖFB Wirtschaftsbetriebe GmbH, in an ORF interview. For the fans, the different venues are "of course a disadvantage. It will be a logistical challenge." Additionally, it is naturally also a financial issue to even get to the USA in the first place.

Getting Up Early for the Football World Cup

For supporters back home, the early kick-off times against Algeria and Jordan will be the biggest challenge. "It's a shame when the kick-off times are not suitable for families in Central European Time. We still hope that not only many fans will support us in the stadiums but also that they will be cheering in front of the screens in Austria," said Neuhold.

He, like team manager Ralf Rangnick, is part of an ÖFB delegation that is likely to travel to San Francisco as early as Saturday (local time). "We want to look at initial arrangements there, then we will of course also analyze and consider the locations in Dallas and Kansas City more closely," explained Neuhold. Defining an adequate team base camp is currently "the most important thing." The US tour is planned until next Wednesday.

"We hope to have a first overview of potential arrangements and setups by then." The ÖFB preferences must be communicated to the world federation by January 9. "We will receive confirmation on January 16 of which location has been allocated to us, because there is no automatism here, but it is only possible to express preferences in the first step," said Neuhold.

Which Friendly Opponents for Austria?

But not only the search for a team base in the USA is in focus these days. According to Neuhold, negotiations with potential friendly opponents are "concrete." Of the two friendly matches in March, the first is to take place away and the second in Vienna. Before the World Cup, a test match is to be held in Vienna before departure to the World Cup venue. In the USA, they want to prepare for the final round "with a lead time of ten to fourteen days," including a test match.

"Due to the draw, our focus is on non-Europeans whom we want to play against. Nothing is signed, but it is moving in the direction of taking the opportunity to test against Asians, Africans, and South Americans," revealed Neuhold.

Austria's Group Matches on Television

The World Cup matches against Jordan and Algeria will be broadcast on ORFeins, and the duel with Argentina on ServusTV. This division was already determined by the two broadcasters, who share the broadcasting rights for the tournament, before the draw. FIFA announced the exact schedule on Saturday during a show in Washington. Alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino, legends such as Brazilian Ronaldo, Italian Francesco Totti, Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, and American Alexi Lalas were on stage, sharing their insights on various groups.

(APA/Red)

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