Belgium 0-0 Iran - 2026 World Cup Match Report and Player Ratings

Belgium 0-0 Iran - 2026 World Cup Match Report and Player Ratings

Belgium faced Iran at the Los Angeles Stadium to kick off the second round of fixtures in Group G. After last week, each team in the group sat on one point, comfortably making Group G the tightest in the competition. The game ended in a stalemate, which further adds to the tension in the group.

Belgium began firmly on the front foot, with the Red Devils making fine use of Kevin De Bruyne to dictate the play. The Napoli midfielder cut in from the left early on to have a punt at goal, but his shot blazed over the bar. Shortly after, Leandro Trossard found De Bruyne again in the box, but he saw his shot blocked.

Iran began to rise to the occasion as Belgium's press intensified, displaying astute discipline across the backline. Moving up the field, Iran broke through with 32-year old central defender Hossein Kanaani hitting a powerful strike towards goal which asked questions of Thibaut Courtois.

Kanaani's attempt hit Belgium by surprise, who before this, might've quietly hoped for a walkover. Belgium kept pressing Iran who responded with solid defending, and their relentless togetherness was holding things together. After another wave of Belgium attacks, Iran began to move up the field.

Winning a free kick around 25-yards from goal, a fantastic dummy saw the ball be passed into Mehdi Taremi, who subsequently slotted the ball past an unbeknownst Thibaut Courtois. However, unfortunately for Iran, Taremi moved too soon, and VAR ruled the goal as offside.

This was a huge wake up call for Belgium as both sides headed into the hydration break.

It was more of the same after the hydration break, with Belgium pressing the Iranian defence to no avail. Kevin De Bruyne worked well with Youri Tielemans to create chances for Romelu Lukaku, but nothing appeared to stick,

Brighton's Maxim De Cuyper had a great chance to put Belgium in front just before half time, but his shot was blocked. This prompted a retaliation strike from Saelemaekers, but the shot was blocked again.

Romelu Lukaku looked off the pace in the fist half, moving poorly and rarely creating space for the forward line to move around him. Belgium walked in at the end of the half visibly frustrated, while Iran fancied their chances.

Halftime Score: Belgium 0-0 Iran

Belgium came out with a bit more fight at the beginning of the second half, with De Bruyne and Tielemans dictating the tempo. After Belgium failed to capitalise, Iran went up the other end, with Mehdi Taremi forcing a huge save from Courtois.

Rudi Garcia turned to the bench at the hour mark, brining on three substitutes in hope of sparking some life into the game. Timothy Castagne, Dodi Lukébakio, and Hans Vanaken all entered the pitch in hope of making a difference, and they almost did so instantly.

After a well worked move involving all three substitutes, De Bruyne flashed a ball across goal from the byline. Lukaku frantically tried to get the ball into the back of the net, but goalkeeping heroics from Alireza Beiranvand prevented him.

Despite this missed opportunity, it was growing increasingly clear that Belgium had began to higher the tempo, and the game started to open up as a result of this. Shorlty after, Lukebakio had a shot from distance which troubled the keeper, but Vanaken's follow up strike went over the bar.

After a positive passage of play, Belgium found their hard work was ripped apart by central defender Nathan Ngoy.

In an attempt to control the ball, Ngoy miskicked it towards the path of Taremi, who burst towards a goal. In an effort to rectify his mistake, the 23-year old had no choice but to drag him down. Ngoy was handed a straight red card, sending Belgium down to ten with 20 minutes to play.

Iran looked like they were the stronger team after the final hydration break, and with just under 10 minutes to go, Kevin De Bruyne gave the ball away in the midfield. Thibaut Courtois got down to make yet another brilliant save to keep Belgium's hopes of a win alive. However, the Iranians kept pushing.

In the dying embers of the game, Belgium looked depleted, and if any team were to take all 3 points, it looked like it'd be Iran. Against the run of play, Lukebakio had a golden chance to steal it for the Red Devils, but skewed his shot wide.

It ends as a stalemate in Los Angeles.

Full Time Score: Belgium 0-0 Iran

Belgium Player Ratings

• Thibaut Courtois (8)
• Thomas Meunier (7)
• Nathan Ngoy (5)
• Brandon Mechele (6)
• Maxim De Cuyper (6)
• Nicolas Raskin (6)
• Kevin De Bruyne (7)
• Youri Tielemans (7)
• Alexis Saelemaekers (6)
• Romelu Lukaku (5)
• Leandro Trossard (6)
• Timothy Castagne (6)
• Dodi Lukébakio (6)
• Hans Vanaken (6)
• Arthur Theate (6)

Iran Player Ratings

• Alireza Beiranvand (9)
• Hossein Kanaani (6)
• Shoja Khalilzadeh (7)
• Ali Nemati (7)
• Saleh Hardani (7)
• Ehsan Haji Safi (7)
• Ramin Rezaeian (6)
• Saman Ghoddos (6)
• Saeid Ezatolahi (7)
• Mohammad Mohebi (6)
• Mehdi Taremi (7)
• Alireza Jahanbakhsh (6)
• Milad Mohammadi (6)
• Mehdi Torabi (6)
• Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (6)

Man Of The Match - Alireza Beiranvand

The 33-year old goalkeeper was inspired today, keeping out Belgium multiple times with some brilliant saves. The award could've easily have gone to Thibaut Courtois at the other end, but Beiranvand's heroics in the end make him just edge it.

Beiranvand made 7 saves today and helped Iran secure a very important point.

Bad Day In The Office - Romelu Lukaku

Belgium's top scorer was off the ball today.

Lukaku was wasteful in possession, woeful in linkup, and disastrous in front of goal. His performance prompted him to be substituted after the red card. While it's known that he has been injured for a while and may be lacking fitness, Belgium need a lot more up front.