
World Cup
7:00 p.mJune 21, 2026
Group stage – 2
SoFi Stadium
Referee: Dario Herrera, Argentina


Belgium


Iran
Turn off the spoiler to see match stats
1.77
Expected Goals (xG)
0.61
Passing by
519 (86%)
Accurate passes
191 (74%)
Turn off the spoiler to see the events of the match
1
G
Thibaut Courtois
7.6
5
d
Maxim de Cuyper
7.2
4
d
Brandon Mechele
7.3
d
Nathan Ngoy
15
d
Tomás Meunier
6.6
8
m
Youri Tielemans (C)
7.3
23
m
Nicholas Raskin
7.2
10
m
Leandro Trossard
8.2
7
m
Kevin De Bruyne
7.2
22
m
Alexis Saelemaekers
6.7
F
Romelu Lukaku
1
G
Alireza Beiranvand
9.3
3
d
Ehsan Hajsafi (C)
6.2
19
d
But don’t have any
6.9
4
d
Shoja Khalilzadeh
8.5
13
d
Hossein Canaan
7.2
2
d
Saleh Hardani
6.5
8
m
Mohammad Mohebi
6.5
m
Saeed Ezatolahi
14
m
Saman Ghoddos
6.9
23
m
Ramin Rezaeian
6.6
9
F
Mehdi Taremi
6.6
Substitutes
24
F
Dennis Eckert Ayensa
F
Shahriar Moghanlou
F
Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh
11
F
Ali Alipour
10
F
Mehdi Ghayedi
26
m
Amirmohammad Razzaghinia
21
m
Mohammad Ghorbani
17
d
Aria Yousefi
15
m
Roozbeh Cheshmi
25
d
Daniel Eiri
22
G
Hossein Hosseini
12
G
Payam Niazmand
m
Mahdi Torabi
d
Milad Mohammadi
F
Alireza Jahanbakhsh

World Cup Classification – Group Stage
Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand produced an incredible masterclass to deny Belgium in a tense 0-0 draw at the SoFi Stadium. His brilliant saves frustrated the European giants throughout the game.
Both nations were looking to start their World Cup campaign with a declared victory in Los Angeles. Belgium entered the tournament with high expectations, while Iran looked set to cause a major upset in Group B.
The match started with great physical drama. Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku was booked in just the third minute for a clumsy tackle on an Iranian defender.
Belgium dominated possession early on and pushed Iran into their own half. Leandro Trossard pulled the strings in midfield, creating six key chances with his clever passing.
Iran defended with great discipline and looked to break on the counter-attack. Midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi was booked in the 33rd minute for stopping a dangerous Belgian break.
Despite having most of the ball, Belgium couldn’t find a way past the stubborn Iranian defense before the whistle. Both coaches had to inspire their teams during the break.
Belgium resumed their attack immediately after the restart. Youri Tielemans took a powerful shot from distance, but Beiranvand reacted quickly to keep the ball away from danger.
The game took a dramatic turn in the 66th minute. Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card, forcing the Red Devils to play with ten men.
Iran tried to make their numerical advantage count. Defender Shoja Khalilzadeh led the back line superbly with four tackles and even fired a rare shot towards the Belgian goal.
At the other end, Belgium still pressed for a late winner. However, Beiranvand held firm in the closing stages, making seven crucial saves to keep a clean sheet.
Belgium finished the game with 71 percent possession and fired 21 shots in total. They recorded an expected goals rating of 1.77, while Iran managed an expected goals rating of 0.61.
The hard-earned draw leaves Iran second in the group standings with one point. Belgium are in fourth place but are confident of qualifying for the next round.

