Belgium endured another disappointing night at the FIFA World Cup 2026, failing to break down a resilient Iran side as the teams played out a tense 0-0 draw. The result leaves Rudi Garcia's men under growing pressure heading into the final round of Group G fixtures.

From the opening whistle, the Red Devils dominated possession and attempted to dictate the tempo, but their attacking play lacked the creativity and unpredictability needed to unlock a disciplined Iranian defence. Leandro Trossard and Kevin De Bruyne regularly looked to create openings, yet clear-cut opportunities remained scarce.

In fact, it was Iran who produced the more dangerous moments during the first half. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, making his historic 17th appearance at a FIFA World Cup, was called into action to deny Hossein Kanaanizadegan early on. The Asian side then thought they had taken the lead in the 25th minute when Mehdi Taremi found the back of the net, only for VAR to intervene and rule the goal out for offside.

Belgium emerged with greater urgency after the break and came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock. Defender Maxim De Cuyper unleashed a powerful effort that seemed destined for the corner, but the Iranian goalkeeper produced a stunning save to keep the scores level.

The match took a dramatic turn in the 67th minute. Young Belgian forward Noah Ngoy made a costly mistake with an underhit back pass that released Mehdi Taremi through on goal. In a desperate attempt to recover, Ngoy pulled the striker back by his shirt, leaving the referee with little choice but to show a straight red card.

Reduced to ten men, Belgium were forced to abandon their attacking ambitions and focus on preserving a point. Yet even in adversity, the Europeans nearly snatched victory in stoppage time. Dodi Lukebakio curled a superb effort towards the top corner, but the ball drifted inches wide of the post.

The draw leaves Belgium with just two points from their opening two matches, a tally that places the former world number one side in a precarious position. Having missed the chance to move to the top of Group G, Rudi Garcia's team now face a must-win encounter against New Zealand in their final group-stage fixture.

World Cup 2026

Belgium - Iran 0:0

Belgium: Courtois; Mechele; De Cuyper; Meunier (Castagne, 58); Ngoy N. (till 67); Saelemaekers (Lukebakio, 58); De Bruyne (Fernandez Pardo, 87); Tielemans; Raskin (Vanaken, 58); Lukaku R. (Theate, 73); Trossard
Substitution: Castagne (from 58); Vanaken (from 58); Lukebakio (from 58); Theate (from 73); Fernandez Pardo (from 87)
Bench: Lammens; Penders; De Winter K.; Onana A.; Seys; Witsel; De Ketelaere; Moreira D.
Yellow Cards: Lukaku R. 3
Red cards: Ngoy N. 67'

Iran: Beiranvand; Hardani (Jahanbakhsh, 46); Khalilzadeh; Kanaani; Nemati; Hajsafi (Torabi, 66); Rezaeian; Ezatolahi (Hosseinzadeh, 85); Mohebi (Mohammadi, 66); Ghoddos (Moghanlou, 79); Taremi
Substitution: Jahanbakhsh (from 46); Mohammadi (from 66); Torabi (from 66); Moghanlou (from 79); Hosseinzadeh (from 85)
Bench: Niazmand; Hosseini Hossein; Yousefi; Eiri; Cheshmi; Ghorbani; Razzaghinia; Ghayedi; Alipour; Eckert
Yellow Cards: Ezatolahi 33