Belgium and Iran finished level at 0-0 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, leaving both teams on two points after two Group G matches at the 2026 World Cup.
Belgium had most of the ball and most of the chances, but Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves in a shutout. Belgium finished with 70.3 percent possession, 23 shots and seven shots on target, while Iran had seven shots and three on target.
Kevin De Bruyne missed twice inside the opening nine minutes, Maxim De Cuyper had an effort saved in the ninth, and Youri Tielemans forced another save in the 22nd. Iran answered through Hossein Kanani, whose 14th-minute shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois, and Saeid Ezatolahi headed wide from close range a minute later. Mehdi Taremi also had a 25th-minute goal overturned after a VAR review.
Belgium kept pressing before halftime, with De Bruyne and De Cuyper again denied by Beiranvand in the 42nd and 44th minutes. The draw continues a measured start for Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, following its opening draw with Egypt.
Red card changes the final stretch
The match shifted in the 66th minute when Belgium defender Nathan Ngoy was shown a red card. Belgium still generated chances after going down to 10 men, including saved efforts from Dodi Lukébakio and De Cuyper and late misses by Brandon Mechele, Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Lukébakio in stoppage time.
Iran had openings of its own after halftime. Mehdi Taremi had a 53rd-minute shot saved by Courtois, Shoja Khalilzadeh headed narrowly over in the 65th, Saeid Ezatolahi tested Courtois from outside the box in the 81st, and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh had an 88th-minute shot blocked.
The game produced two yellow cards before the red. Romelu Lukaku was booked in the third minute for Belgium, and Ezatolahi was booked in the 33rd for Iran. Belgium finished with seven fouls, Iran with nine, and both teams were caught offside multiple times, Belgium three and Iran four.
Iran’s defensive volume told part of the story. Iran earned 50 clearances and 13 interceptions, compared with Belgium’s 11 clearances and three interceptions. The result also kept attention on Iran’s tournament backdrop, including the earlier discussion around Iran’s #168 pins.
The announced attendance was 70,317 at SoFi Stadium, part of the wider setting for World Cup 2026 in Los Angeles. Belgium and Iran now move into their final Group G matches with identical 0-2-0 records and two points.
