Belgium stumbled to a 0-0 draw with Iran at SoFi Stadium on Sunday in a game that featured both a red card and perhaps the best save of the 2026 World Cup thus far.
Belgium, the most talented team in Group G on paper, couldn’t unlock a resistant Iranian defense, and then had to survive the last 25 minutes of the match with 10 men after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The atmosphere at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles was festive, much less political than the scene surrounding Iran’s World Cup opener. And thousands of Iranian American fans cheered as their team earned an unexpected point.
The result leaves a gaping hole atop Group G. Either Egypt or New Zealand could fill it with a win on Sunday night. The Belgians will now need a victory over New Zealand on Friday, plus some help, to win the group — as many expected them to do before the tournament began.
The result means that, per The Athletic’s projections, Belgium has a 95 per cent chance of progressing, but only a 45 percent chance of finishing top of the group. Iran now have a 56 percent chance of featuring in the knockouts.
Henry Bushnell, Jacob Tanswell, Rob Tanner and Tom Williams break down the key moments from the game.
What should we (and the USMNT) make of Belgium now?
The Belgians looked anything but sharp, and as they labored through the first half, the United States’ path to the quarterfinals looked increasingly tame.
The U.S., having already won Group D, knows that its knockout path goes through a third-place team in the round of 32, then the Group G winner or another third-place team in the round of 16. Ever since the World Cup draw in December, the assumption has been that the round of 16 opponent could be Belgium, but the Belgians have underwhelmed. They’ll now need a win over New Zealand and some help to beat Egypt to the top of the group.
And even if Belgium does claw its way to the top of Group G, it hasn’t looked threatening. It bumbled its way to a draw with Egypt this past Monday. On Sunday, it was sloppy and impotent in the final third. Half of its team — namely, its midfield — is world-class. The other half is indistinct. Their lack of a dynamic striker is glaring. They largely controlled the game but failed to break down an overmatched Iran team that, frankly, didn’t look all that difficult to break down.
(Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The gigantic caveat here is that Jérémy Doku missed Sunday’s match due to illness.
When Belgium routed the U.S. in March, so much of the damage was done by Doku, a shifty, lightning-quick winger who puts constant pressure on opposing defenders. He draws double-teams, and tugs an opponent out of its shape. If he returns to full fitness, he’s fully capable of terrorizing the U.S. again on July 6 in Seattle.
But without him, Belgium stumbled around in the final third. Players were indecisive and out of sync rather than incisive. Romelu Lukaku clogged up central areas. Several attackers bungled chances.
Henry Bushnell
Iran’s resilience shines through once more
On the face of it, it could be difficult to describe Iran as an underdog. After all, they are 22nd in the FIFA rankings. That is ahead of Erling Haaland’s Norway and Mohamed Salah’s Egypt. Haiti is the lowest-ranked side at this year’s expanded 48-team tournament at 87.
And yet it feels like they are the team up against it the most this summer. The conflict between one of the host nations, the United States, and Iran leading into the tournament has meant that world politics have shrouded Iran’s World Cup campaign rather than sporting issues.
Their travel plans and recovery schedules have been disrupted. They have had backroom staff denied visas, as well as media covering the event. It has not been easy.
Many of the squad may, privately, share many of the concerns about the domestic regime with their U.S.-based fellow Iranians, but they have had to focus on football. They are just footballers after all, not politicians.
(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
All these obstacles may have fueled Iran’s resilience in this tournament. They demonstrated that in the opening game against New Zealand when they came from behind twice to snatch a point and the way they frustrated Belgium in Los Angeles was impressive.
This team clearly has a bond, a togetherness that is difficult to replicate without those circumstances.
Against Belgium they had a fraction of possession (22 percent) but their 5-4-1 formation proved resolute and they had arguably the best chances to score.
How far that can take them into this tournament remains to be seen, but that resolute spirit on a football pitch should be admired.
Rob Tanner
Is this the save of the tournament?
The game turned right around the 60-minute mark, with Belgium attacking in waves and threatening to overrun Iran’s defense.
Kevin De Bruyne snuck into the left side of the penalty area, slid a pass across the six-yard box, and the ball fell to Maxim De Cuyper at point-blank range with the goal gaping.
Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, though, lunged across the goal and, with an outstretched left hand, made perhaps the best save of the 2026 World Cup so far.
After Beiranvand collected the ball, teammates mobbed him. It was not only an acrobatic save; it was pivotal. It kept Belgium at bay during a period of sustained pressure. Six minutes later, Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy was sent off and the balance of the game shifted for good.
Henry Bushnell
Did the Lukaku gamble pay off?
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia gambled by starting Romelu Lukaku, after the country’s 90-goal record scorer had made an immediate impact off the bench against Egypt by forcing Mohamed Hany to concede an own goal that earned the Belgians a point.
Having made only nine substitute appearances in Serie A for Napoli last season due to injury, Lukaku was making his first competitive start since a World Cup qualifying win over Wales in June 2025 — and it showed.
His desire to get involved was clear from the start. With less than three minutes on the clock, he threw his immense frame at a low De Bruyne cross and collided with ‘keeper Beiranvand, for which he was booked.
Romelu Lukaku attempts to bulldoze his way through the Iranian defence (Dirk Waem / Belga / AFP via Getty Images)
He procured only one clear sight of goal in the first half, getting in front of his marker and meeting Youri Tielemans’ cross from the left with a glancing header that flew over the bar.
But for the most part he toiled, struggling to combine with his teammates in the tiny pockets of space left by Iran’s compact five-man defence and failing to get on the end of the many crosses that were sent in his direction.
Surprisingly, given his lack of playing time, he made it to the 73rd minute before giving way for Arthur Theate. But his impact on the game had already been waning for some time.
Tom Williams
Do Belgium have a midfield problem?
Belgium’s midfield was faced with an obvious but rather frustrating task. Despite possessing two of the best line-breaking passers around in De Bruyne and Tielemans, they had to dislodge an organised and dogged Iran low block.
Belgium were clearly aware of the challenge from the outset, with Nicolas Raskin, who had replaced Amadou Onana from the first match, in the No 6 role and Tielemans, in theory his midfield partner, essentially serving as a No 10, stationed between Iran’s defence and midfield line.
Interestingly, De Bruyne came short to receive in the first half and be the player tasked with punching balls into Tielemans or Lukaku. With left-back De Cuyper inverting and Tielemans in positions to crash the box, Belgium was frequently be in a 3-1-6 in-possession shape, with the six players across the frontline aiming to disrupt Iran’s low block.
(Etienne Laurent / AFP via Getty Images)
Yet Belgium appeared frustrated by what they encountered from early on. Tielemans is often deployed as a No 10 by his club manager Unai Emery in specific matches, and while he produced a shot and delivered an intelligent pass for De Cuyper before the break, the various midfield configurations rarely clicked.
They looked leggy and one-paced, unable to pull Iran’s backline out of position or make the most of periods of possession that almost touched 80 percent.
Tielemans gradually dropped deeper in the second half in a bid to dictate play and once his side were reduced to ten men, the 28-year-old even spent a brief period in central defence as Belgium looked increasingly unsure with and without the ball.
Jacob Tanswell
