Belgium's Youri Tielemans in action with Iran's Saman Ghoddos. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Iran went shoulder-to-shoulder against Belgium in the Group G match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Mehdi Taremi even found the net in the 25th minute off a setpiece but the goal was ruled for offside. Iran really a hold over the game after Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for a foul on Taremi in the second half.

Across its six World Cup editions, Iran has won just three times in 18 games.

The nation’s first win at the Word Cup came in the 1998 edition when it defeated United States 2-1. It had to wait 20 years for its second win, which came against Morocco.

Iran then again won in the 2022 World Cup, picking a 2-1 triumph over Wales.

However, despite its three wins, Iran has never made it out of the group stages of a World Cup.

With the tournament expanding to 48 teams, the Asian heavyweight finally has a chance to advance to the round of 32 as even best eight third-placed teams advance to the knockouts.

Published on Jun 22, 2026