Belgium and Iran drew 0-0 in their Group G match at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday. Belgium dominated but were denied by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, then finished with 10 men after Nathan Ngoy's red card.
Belgium and Iran drew 0-0 in their Group G match at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday. Belgium dominated but were denied by goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, then finished with 10 men after Nathan Ngoy's red card.
Belgium opened their World Cup with a 1-1 draw against Egypt, rescued by Romelu Lukaku seconds after he came off the bench. They needed a win against Iran to take control of Group G. Instead they were held again.
The Red Devils have taken just two points from their first two matches despite arriving as group favourites.
Belgium controlled possession from the start and created the better openings. Maxim De Cuyper forced an early save from Beiranvand with a long-range effort. Iran threatened on the counter and thought they had scored in the 24th minute, only for Mehdi Taremi's finish to be ruled out for a narrow offside after a VAR review.
The match turned in the 66th minute. Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card for hauling down Taremi as the forward broke clear, leaving Belgium to play the final half-hour a man short. It was the eighth dismissal of the 2026 tournament.
Belgium coach Rudi Garcia put the result down to poor finishing rather than poor play.
"We could have won by three goals against Iran but we weren't efficient enough," Garcia told reporters. "We had many attempts and when you don't score, you don't win a match."
He defended his tactical setup against a side he expected to sit deep. "We dominated, so tactically and in terms of the game plan we played as we wanted to play. But we were wasteful and lacked efficiency," he said.
Garcia called Ngoy's dismissal an understandable error from a young player and praised the response of the rest. "Playing 30 minutes down a man is very difficult in a World Cup," he said. He named Beiranvand as the standout performer and the main reason Belgium left without all three points.
The 62-year-old insisted qualification was still in his side's hands. "Sometimes you have to win and in this situation you have to win," he said. "Obviously, I would have wished to start better but this is part of life."
Belgium were without Jeremy Doku. The winger travelled to the tournament with a cold and suffered a relapse with a respiratory infection. "Due to illness, Doku will not be part of the squad for our upcoming game against Iran," the Belgian team posted on social media. Leandro Trossard took his place on the left.
Lukaku started after completing his recovery from injury. He had marked his Egypt cameo by helping force an equaliser 23 seconds into his appearance, but could not break through against Beiranvand.
The draw leaves the group finely balanced. Iran sit top and Belgium second, both on two points, with New Zealand and Egypt level on one each. Every side still has a route to the round of 32.
Belgium face New Zealand in Vancouver on Friday, while Iran meet Egypt. "This group is not weak," Garcia said. "We need to show we are capable of beating New Zealand and moving into the round of 32. First we need to rest, recover and get ready for this decisive match."
