Belgium and Iran will be in the search of their first win of FIFA World Cup 2026 when they square-off in a Group G match on Monday, June 22. Both teams started their campaign with hard-fought draws.
Belgium came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Egypt in their World Cup opener on Monday, with substitute Romelu Lukaku making an immediate impact after coming on in the 66th minute as his dangerous cross was turned into the net by Egypt defender Mohamed Hany for an own goal.
Egypt had taken a surprise lead in the 19th minute through Emam Ashour’s first international goal after a pass from captain Mohamed Salah, while Belgium wasted several chances, including efforts from Jeremy Doku and Kevin De Bruyne, who struck the post. Both sides created opportunities to win the match late on, with Lukaku missing a clear header and Egypt denied a penalty appeal.
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Iran twice fought back to earn a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in an entertaining Group G clash. Elijah Just scored both goals for New Zealand, opening the scoring early and restoring the lead after halftime, while Iran responded through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebbi to secure a point.
Iran created the better chances late on but could not find a winner, leaving all four teams in Group G level on one point after Belgium and Egypt also drew 1-1 earlier in the day.
The match took place amid a politically charged atmosphere, with protests against Tehran’s government outside the stadium and mixed reactions from Iranian-American fans, while Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei also voiced frustration over travel and visa issues affecting his team’s World Cup campaign.
As things stand, all the four teams have a point apiece with a goal difference of zero.
Match time and venue
The Belgium-Iran match will kick-off at 12.30 AM IST on Monday, June 22. The game will be played at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.
Referee
Dario Herrera of Argentina will be the referee for this match.
Head to Head
These two sides have never played against each other.
Form Guide
Belgium: D-W-W-D-W-W
Iran: D-W-W-W-L-L
Belgium
Belgium’s World Cup 2026 squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders.
Defenders: Timothy Castagne, Zeno Debast, Maxim De Cuyper, Koni De Winter, Brandon Mechele, Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Joaquin Seys, Arthur Theate.
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Amadou Onana ,Nicolas Raskin, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Axel Witsel.
Forwards: Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku, Matias Fernandez-Pardo, Romelu Lukaku, Dodi Lukebakio, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemekars, Leandro Trossard.
Possible starting XI vs Iran
Thibaut Courtois; Thomas Meunier, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele, Timothy Castagne; Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans; Leandro Trossard; Kevin De Bruyne, Jérémy Doku; Charles De Ketelaere.
Coach
Rudi Garcia
Iran
Iran’s World Cup 2026 squad
Goalkeepers: Alireza Beiranvand, Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand.
Defenders: Daniyal Eiri, Ehsan Hajsafi, Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian.
Midfielders: Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Mehdi Ghayedi, Saman Ghoddos, Mohammad Ghorbani, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebi, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Torabi, Aria Yousefi.
Forwards: Ali Alipour, Dennis Dargahi, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Shahriyar Moghanlou, Mehdi Taremi.
Possible starting XI vs Belgium
Alireza Beiranvand; Ramin Rezaeian, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Ali Nemati, Milad Mohammadi; Mohammad Mohebi, Saman Ghoddos, Saeid Ezatolahi, Aria Yousefi; Shahriar Moghanlou Mehdi Taremi.
Players to watch
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium): Romelu Lukaku had an instant impact coming off the bench. Although the Belgium’s all-time goal-scorer isn’t fully fit yet, Lukaku will be essential in giving Belgium the cutting edge which they would need against a team like Iran. Charles de Ketelaere hasn’t impressed in his make-shift role of a no.9.
Mehdi Taremi (Iran): Mehdi Taremi is the the most prolific goal scorer of Iran present in the World Cup squad. He has netted 60 goals and will again play a key role as Iran will be looking to score goals and earn all three points.
How To Watch LIVE Telecast?
The Iran-Belgium FIFA World Cup 2026 match will be televised live in India on Unite8 Sports 1, Unite8 Sports 1 HD, Unite8 Sports 2 and Unite8 Sports 2 HD television channels.
How To Watch Live Streaming?
The Iran v Belgium FIFA World Cup 2026 game will be streamed live on the ZEE5 app and website in English, Malayalam, Bangla and Hindi.