Failing to take their chances
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— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 21, 202623 - Belgium had 23 shots vs IR Iran, their most without scoring in a FIFA World Cup game since 1994 vs Saudi Arabia (28). Indeed, their players have fired in 69 shots at the finals since a Belgium player last got on the scoresheet (Michy Batshuayi v Canada in 2022).
Wasteful. pic.twitter.com/rgBISyE3H6
What of Kevin De Bruyne?
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— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 21, 2026"When you've got players missing chances from 3 or 4 yards, what chance have you got?"
Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira talk Kevin De Bruyne's fitness and Belgium's troubles in front of goal... pic.twitter.com/d91mtBLhXR
What to look forward to tomorrow
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Group G:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am
Group J:
Argentina vs Austria 6pm
Group I:
France vs Iraq 10pm
Group G fixtures (UK times)
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Monday June 15:
Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (Seattle)
Tuesday June 16:
Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (Los Angeles)
Today:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 (Los Angeles)
Monday June 22:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am (Vancouver)
Saturday June 27:
Egypt vs Iran 4am (Seattle)
New Zealand vs Belgium 4am (Vancouver)
Not mincing his words
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Roy Keane on ITV has described the overall quality of this game “rubbish”. Say what you really think Roy! Here he is:
Group G table
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- Iran- 2 points (2 games)
- Belgium- 2 points (2 games)
- New Zealand- 1 point (1 game)
- Egypt- 1 point (1 game)
New Zealand take on Egypt in Vancouver in a few hours’ time in their second games of the group.
Today’s games
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Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 FT
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
FT stats
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Possession: Belgium 70%-30% Iran
Shots: 23-7
Shots on target: 7-3
Corners: 4-2
Touches in opposition box: 42-15
Full time
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The final whistle is blown and both sides have to settle for a point, which means both teams have drawn their first two games. Belgium actually negotiated being down to 10 men reasonably well.
90+4 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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There is one final opportunity for Brlgium as Lukebakio cuts inside from the right and curls one towards the top corner but it just misses the target.
90+3 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Fernandez-Pardo shows good footwork to cut inside from the left and looks to pick out the far corner but misses the target by quite some way. Was that Belgium’s final chance?
90+2 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Will we see a very, very late winner? It is quite open, despite Belgium being down to 10 men.
90 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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The answer is that we are going to see five minutes of added time. I am very, very surprised by that! Considering we had a three-minute hyrdation break and both sides have made five changes, that feels very low.
89 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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How many added minutes are we going to see? When you combine the hydration break with a lot of substitutions, I suspect we are going to see at least eight minutes added on.
87 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Belgium make their final change as Rudi Garcia brings De Bruyne off and replaces him with Fernandez-Pardo.
85 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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For the second time in the half, De Cuyper is denied by Beiranvand. The cross comes in from the right and comes all the way across to De Cuyper, who strikes it towards goal but Beiranvand makes the save.
84 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Iran make their final change of the game as Hosseinzadeh comes on.
83 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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With the man advantage, this is a massive opportunity for Iran to win this game and move onto four points, which would almost guarantee their place in the knockout stages. It would also take a lot of pressure off their final game against Egypt.
81 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Ezatolahi steals the ball from De Bruyne inside the Belgium half and the space opens up for Ezatolahi to shoot. He takes the shot on and forces Courtois into a decent save.
77 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Up until this point, Belgium have had over 75% possession but those statistics are going to dramatically change over the next 13 minutes plus extra time, which there will be plenty of.
72 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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The timing of the hydration break for Belgium could probably not have been any better as Rudi Garcia have to adjust to being down to 10 men. You would anticipate plenty of tactical chat would have taken place during that break.
They have also made a change, bringing on a defender in the form of Theate to cover for Ngoy’s red card. Lukaku is the man withdrawn.
RED CARD! Ngoy given his marching orders
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Belgium are down to 10 men! Ngoy attempts a back pass from just inside his own half and it is a dreadful attempt that is nowhere near getting anywhere near his keeper Courtois. Taremi races to get on the end of it but Ngoy pulls him down. Ngoy is shown a red card as he was the last man and denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Ngoy panicked and made such a rash decision. How costly could that be for Belgium?
66 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Chance for Iran. Rezaeian’s corner from the left finds Khalilzadeh at the far post but the latter’s header goes wide.
Double change for Iran as Torabi and Mohammadi come on for Hajisafi and Mohebbi.
62 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Lukebakio cuts inside from the right and shoots from the corner of the penalty area. Beiranvand parries the shot straight into the path of Vanaken near the edge of the box but the Belgian cannot guide his effort on target.
59 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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How have Belgium not scored there? De Bruyne is found making a run in behind and brings it down under his control just before the byline. His cross is initially blocked but the ball falls to De Cuyper, who must surely score but is denied by a fine save from Beiranvand. It is a great save but De Cuyper probably should not have given Beiranvand a chance.
57 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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The answer to the question I asked at half-time about when Rudi Garcia might turn to his bench is just over 10 minutes into this second half. Belgium are making a triple change as Castagane, Lukebakio and Vanaken come on. Meunier, Saelemaekers and Raskin head off.
54 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Trossard plays a good ball into Lukaku inside the Iran penalty area. Lukaku’s hold-up play initially is good but just as he is about to shoot he lets the ball get away from him and the chance is gone.
52 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Big save from Courtois. Belgium fail to deal with a long throw by Jahanbakhsh and the ball falls to Taremi, who strikes his shot well but is denied by a good save from Courtois.
51 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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De Cuyper shows good footwork just outside the box before shooting but his effort is blocked by Khalilzadeh, who is struck in a rather tender area. Safe to say I probably do not need to explain any further!
50 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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De Bruyne’s corner from the left goes beyond the back post and picks out Saelemaekers, who gets his leg up high and volleys first time. He strikes it well but his effort goes into the side netting.
48 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Trossard has gone down and stayed down after a challenge from Jahanbakhsh, who did catch Trossard on the back of the leg. After over a minute down on the ground, Trossard is now back to his feet. Belgium did not want the physios to come on or else it would have meant Trossard having to stay off the pitch for a minute.
46 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Within seconds of coming on, Jahanbakhsh has a shot from the right side of the box but drags his effort wide.
Second half
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We are back under way in Los Angeles. As it stands, both of these sides would end up with two draws out of two from their first couple of games.
Iran have decided to make a change at the break as former Brighton man Jahanbakhsh replaces Hardani.
Changes necessary?
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Will Rudi Garcia opt for any substitutions at the break? His side had loads and loads of possession in the first half but did not do a huge amount with it. I suspect he will give it another 10 or 15 minutes before pressing the substitution button. Attacking players like Fernandez-Pardo and De Ketelaere are available off the Belgium bench.
Today’s games
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Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 HT
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
HT stats
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Possession: Belgium 81%-19% Iran
Shots: 11-2
Shots on target: 4-1
Corners: 2-1
Touches in opposition box: 22-5
Iran had just 19% possession in that first half and Belgium had far more shots but Iran were the closest to getting the opener.
Half-time
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A long first half in Los Angeles is brought to an end and it remains goalless. Iran thought they had taken the lead only for Taremi’s goal to be ruled out for offside.
45+6 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Tensions have just threatened a touch to boil over, with Mohebbi and Saelemaekers come to blows.
45+5 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Belgium have had 80% possession, yes 80%, in this first half, but the game remains goalless. Iran were the ones as well to come closest to scoring with Taremi’s effort ruled out for offside.
45 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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There will be a mere eight minutes of added time, due to the hydration break and that early collision between Lukaku and Beiranvand.
43 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Good opportunity for Belgium. Tielemans clips in a lovely ball from a fairly central position all the way to the far post, where De Cuyper meets it. De Cuyper hits it on the volley but is denied by a good save from Beiranvand.
41 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Belgium have a throw-in deep inside the Iranian half but Meunier is penalised for taking too long over it. Good to see referees clamping down on players taking ages over throw-ins.
39 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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De Bruyne wins a free-kick for Belgium and is not happy that he believes he is constantly being fouled by the Iranian players. The latest incident saw Iran captain Hajisafi trip him up but no yellow card.
The free-kick comes to nothing.
36 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Tieleman’s cross from the left picks out Lukaku, who got in front of his marker but his header goes a fair way over the bar.
33 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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The first Iranian player into the book is Ezatolahi, who is shown a yellow card for hauling down Tielemans.
29 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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A bit later than we normally have seen in this World Cup, we go to the hydration break, much to the annoyance of the crowd.
NO GOAL! Taremi’s effort ruled out
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Iran’s joy is short-lived as Taremi was offside. It was a close call, hence why it took a bit of time to get the decision, but offside is black or white. The game remains at 0-0 but a huge warning and let-off for Belgium.
That’s a beautifully executed free-kick routine with Hajisafi shaping to shoot but instead slotting a disguised pass of which De Bruyne would be proud into the feet of Taremi who turns smartly and finishes but the goal is ruled offside following a VAR check.
GOAL! Taremi puts Iran in front
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Against the run of play, Iran take the lead! It is a well-worked goal as Hajisafi fakes shooting from a free-kick not far outside the Belgium goal, instead passing it to Taremi. On the turn, Taremi takes a lovely first touch on the edge of the Belgium penalty area before slotting past Courtois. There will however be a check to see if Taremi was offside from Hajisafi’s pass...
23 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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The TV cameras have picked out George Weah in the stands in Los Angeles today.
Iran keeper Beiranvand still appears to be struggling with his neck from that collision with Lukaku just a few minutes into the game.
21 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Belgium are enjoying plenty of the ball but currently lacking that killer instinct in the final third.
They do though come close to breaking the deadlock through their captain as Tielemans, from the right side of the box, fires a shot towards the near post but Beiranvand gets down well to his left to make the save. Tielemans struck that shot well.
14 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Iran have barely gone across the halfway line with the ball but nearly score with their first venture forward. Belgium fail to deal properly with a ball into the box and the ball comes to the Iran defender Kanani, who takes a touch before shooting on the swivel from around 12 yards out. That forces Courtois into a decent save to his right and Iran will have their first corner of the game.
Rezaeian swings it in to the back post, where he picks out Ezatolahi but his header goes wide. That was a decent opportunity for Ezatolahi.
13 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Belgium have been on top in these early stages but so far have not found the opener.
9 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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A double chance for Belgium. Trossard’s cross from the left picks out De Bruyne, whose shot is blocked. The ball then comes to De Cuyper, who shoots but is denied by Beiranvand.
It’s Belgium versus Dad’s Army at Los Angeles Stadium. Iran have named the oldest starting XI for a World Cup game on record, going back to 1966 since when Opta have data, at 32 years, 181 days average.
8 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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De Bruyne receives it out on the left after Raskin won the ball back for Belgium inside the Iran half. As he enters the Iranian box, De Bruyne cuts inside onto his right foot and tries to curl one into the far corner but misses the target.
7 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Rio Ferdinand is taking in this game in Los Angeles.
We are now back under way.
6 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Beiranvand was down for a couple of minutes receiving treatment but is now back to his feet. It appears the damage to Beiranvand is primarily in the neck region.
3 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
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Rudi Garcia decided to make four changes today from their 1-1 draw with Egypt, with one of those enforced due to Doku’s absence. How will the likes of Lukaku and Saelemaekers fare from the start today?
Belgium have the first corner of the game out on the right, which De Cuyper, who is one to come into their starting XI, will take. The inswinger is headed away at the near post but Belgium keep it alive.
De Bruyne then whips in a dangerous delivery, which the Iran keeper Beiranvand spills. He is then caught late by Lukaku, who is booked for that challenge. I am not sure there was much malice in that challenge but Lukau did catch Beiranvand. I think it was an honest attempt for the ball.
Kick-off
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We are under way at Los Angeles Stadium. Both of these sides drew their first games so can either find their first victory of the tournament? A win would almost guarantee a spot in the last 32.
Reminder of the teams
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Belgium: Courtois, Mechele, De Cuyper, Meunier, Ngoy, De Bruyne, Tielemans, Saelemaekers, Raskin, Lukaku, Trossard.
Substitutes: Lammens, Penders, Theate, Winter, Seys, Castagne, Witzel, Moreira, Vanaken, Onana, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Fernandez-Pardo.
Iran: Beiranvand, Hardani, Hajisafi, Kanani, Nemati, Rezaeian, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Taremi.
Substitutes: Niazmand, Hosseini, Mohammadi, Yousefi, Iri, Jahanbaksh, Cheshmi, Torabi, Ghorbani, Razaghinia, Ghayedi, Alipour, Hosseinzadeh, Moghanloo, Dargahi.
Anthem time
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As we have come to expect at this World Cup, all members of each squad head out for the national anthems, although there is no Jeremy Doku with Belgium due to illness. I do not think we are going to see this cotton on anywhere else so it may well be unique to this World Cup!
We are ready for the national anthems. Belgium’s La Brabançonne followed by Iran’s Sorud-e Melli-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân. The name of the Iranian national anthem is quite long to say the least. The Iranian anthem is met with plenty of boos from inside Los Angeles Stadium.
Another storm brewing?
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The Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) have accused the US of pedalling “lies” over claims a man with “direct ties” to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to enter the country with the Iran national team. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Sunday that someone operating under the guise of being the president of the FFIRI tried to enter the US with Iran’s football team but was not allowed to board the plane on Saturday.
“When we started doing the research on him, he had only been put in place since 2022, and we didn’t allow him to board the plane,” Mullin told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures show. “The guy trying to get on the plane yesterday had direct ties to IRGC.”
Mullin’s claims have sparked a furious reaction from the FFIRI, who accused him of making “false, fabricated and entirely baseless allegations” amid escalating tensions. FFIRI president Mehdi Taj is one of the Iranian officials who has been denied a visa by US authorities on the basis of his past alleged links to the IRGC. But the FFIRI insisted that claims an official representative of the federation had attempted to board a flight to the US on Saturday and was prevented from doing so was “an outright and undeniable lie”.
“This claim is so unfounded that those who made it are well aware that such an incident never occurred in the first person,” the FFIRI said in a statement. “It is regrettable that a senior U.S. official has resorted to spreading false statements and misinformation in order to justify restrictions imposed on members of the Iranian national team delegation.”
In from the start
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Belgium boss Rudi Garcia has decided to give Romelu Lukaku the start for the Red Devils. Lukaku had a big impact on the goal Belgium scored against Egypt, which ended up being an own goal, seconds after coming onto the pitch. He barely played at all for Napoli last season so how long will he last today?
Recent form for each side
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Belgium:
June 2026: Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (World Cup)
June 2026: Belgium 5 Tunisia 0 (Friendly)
June 2026: Croatia 0 Belgium 2 (Friendly)
April 2026: Mexico 1 Belgium 1 (Friendly)
March 2026: USA 2 Belgium 5 (Friendly)
Iran:
June 2026: Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (World Cup)
June 2026: Iran 2 Mali 0 (Friendly)
May 2026: Iran 3 Gambia 1 (Friendly)
March 2026: Costa Rica 0 Iran 5 (Friendly)
March 2026: Iran 1 Nigeria 2 (Friendly)
Group G fixtures (UK times)
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Monday June 15:
Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (Seattle)
Tuesday June 16:
Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (Los Angeles)
Today:
Belgium vs Iran 8pm (Los Angeles)
Monday June 22:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am (Vancouver)
Saturday June 27:
Egypt vs Iran 4am (Seattle)
New Zealand vs Belgium 4am (Vancouver)
Today’s games
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Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium vs Iran 8pm
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
Atmosphere building
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“Bizarre row”
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Jeremy Doku is at the centre of the World Cup’s most bizarre row after he was criticised for wanting to leave Belgium’s camp to attend the birth of his first child.
The Manchester City winger was substituted during his country’s opening 1-1 draw with Egypt last week and has spent the time since struggling to overcome a virus that may preclude his involvement in Monday’s game against Iran.
But Doku is looking at a bigger picture and with his wife, Shireen, heavily pregnant, he is working out when he will be able to return to Europe to be present for the most important event in a person’s life.
“I would like to be there,” he said. “No father would want to miss that. I know that the federation is aware and we will see what we can do. The baby could arrive before the end of the tournament.”
This, however, has invoked an almighty backlash from commentators. For some reason, Doku has been castigated for putting becoming a new parent ahead of playing football, with some of his former coaches and a raft of TV pundits indicating he was letting his country down.
“When you go to the World Cup, it’s a choice,” Peter Janssens, who coached Doku as a youth player, told Belgian website VRT. “It might sound a bit harsh, but if you’re there, it’s because you have chosen to play. The baby will still be there afterwards.”
Former Belgium international Gert Verheyen jokingly suggested that Doku would be twiddling his thumbs in the hospital.
“The only thing you can say is: ‘You’re doing great, keep going’,” said Verheyen.
Teams in full
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Belgium: Courtois, Mechele, De Cuyper, Meunier, Ngoy, De Bruyne, Tielemans, Saelemaekers, Raskin, Lukaku, Trossard.
Substitutes: Lammens, Penders, Theate, Winter, Seys, Castagne, Witzel, Moreira, Vanaken, Onana, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Fernandez-Pardo.
Iran: Beiranvand, Hardani, Hajisafi, Kanani, Nemati, Rezaeian, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Taremi.
Substitutes: Niazmand, Hosseini, Mohammadi, Yousefi, Iri, Jahanbaksh, Cheshmi, Torabi, Ghorbani, Razaghinia, Ghayedi, Alipour, Hosseinzadeh, Moghanloo, Dargahi.
Surprise up top
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Lukaku starts up front for Belgium against Iran, which has come as a bit of a surprise. Belgium’s official X feed @BelRedDevils has produced a rather novel image to reveal the team, listing all the starting XI on the boxes of popcorn.
No Doku for Belgium
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The big news from the Belgium end is that Jeremy Doku is unavailable against Iran due to illness. Rudi Garcia, the Belgium coach, did not look particularly happy about the situation at his press conference yesterday and made it clear he would only be answering one question on the matter.
“He can’t play, and so we’ll be playing without him,” Garcia said. “I knew since [Friday] evening that he won’t be playing. I don’t want to get players to play if they’re not medically up for the game. I can get players to play even if they’re not 100 percent physically, but 100 percent medically is [more important]. But I’m absolutely 100 percent sure we’ll be fine and we’ll be winning tomorrow.”
There is a degree of nervousness around the Doku situation, though, after the Manchester City winger Doku said he wants to leave Belgium’s camp to be with his wife when she gives birth to their first child - assuming Garcia’s side are still in the tournament by then. Doku’s wife Shireen is due to give birth during the second week of July and he intends to return home even if Belgium are still involved in the World Cup, which by then would be at the quarter-final stage.
His stance drew a bizarre critic from L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who said a father is “completely useless” at the time of their child’s birth - remarks that drew an angry backlash on social media that prompted her to explain her comments and apologise for any offence caused.
According to reports in Belgian media, Doku has been on antibiotics since falling ill. He had a cold before leaving for Seattle, where Belgium are based in the US, and then reportedly developed symptoms of a respiratory infection in the days after their arrival in Seattle. He picked up before their opening game against Egypt but then his symptoms returned and worsened on Friday, making it hard to sleep. Belgium are now working towards ensuring he is ready for their final group game against New Zealand. In a team with ageing stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the City winger is their biggest attacking threat these days so his absence for such an important game in their efforts to qualify for the knockout stages has been poorly timed.
Both sides seeking their first wins of the tournament
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Belgium will be looking to step a big step towards qualification for the knockout stages as they take on Iran in Los Angeles. Today’s game on the west coast of the United States is the first-ever meeting between the two nations.
Belgium were involved in an engaging opener in their first game in Group G, drawing 1-1 against Egypt in Seattle as they came from behind to earn a point. A victory today would take them to four points, which would almost guarantee a last-32 spot with a game to go.
“We have analyzed Iran less thoroughly than usual because they are a team that is hard to track in friendly matches,” Belgium boss Rudi Garcia said ahead of the game. “However, we have seen that they had a strong qualifying campaign for the World Cup. We obviously watched them in their first match against New Zealand. They have players we know well and others we are less familiar with since we do not follow Asian teams very closely. But everyone obviously knows [Medhi] Taremi. I am French, so I am also familiar with [Saman] Ghoddos, who played for Amiens.
“They are a team that runs a lot, defends well and is strong on set pieces. So, I would say, regardless of who starts for them or who starts for us, whether they have played together before or not, one thing is certain: we have to be at 100 per cent of our ability tomorrow [today] to beat this Iranian team. So, we are focusing much more on ourselves than on the opponent.”
Belgium will be without Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku, who is out due to illness. Doku has said that he could return home for the birth of his first child should his wife give birth during the tournament.
Iran’s build-up to the tournament was dominated by the conflict between the country and co-hosts the United States linked to the war in the Middle East. They are allowed to fly into the US a day before they have a game but have to leave on the same day as a match under the conditions of their visas. Iran are lodging an official complaint to Fifa about these travel restrictions. Iran were involved in a thriller in their first game of Group G, drawing 2-2 against New Zealand in this stadium. Following that game, their head coach Amir Ghalenoei said that they are the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.
Team news to follow shortly.