2026 W’Cup: Belgium, Iran Share Spoils in California

Belgium’s struggles at the 2026 World Cup continued on Sunday as they were forced to settle for a disappointing 0-0 draw against Iran in California.

The Red Devils, who also drew their opening match, failed to find their rhythm and finished the contest with 10 men after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off midway through the second half. Ngoy’s misplaced backpass allowed Iran’s Mehdi Taremi a clear run on goal, prompting the Belgian defender to bring him down and receive a red card.

Iran thought they had broken the deadlock in the first half through Taremi after a cleverly worked free-kick from captain Ehsan Hajisafi, but the striker’s finish was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

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Despite dominating possession for long periods, Belgium struggled to create meaningful chances. Kevin De Bruyne and Maxim De Cuyper both came close, but goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand remained largely untroubled.

Iran looked the more dangerous side after the interval, with Taremi testing Thibaut Courtois before Belgium briefly increased the pressure. De Bruyne created the visitors’ best opening, only for De Cuyper to fire straight at Beiranvand from close range.
Reduced to 10 men, Belgium were forced onto the defensive and relied on Courtois to deny Saeid Ezatolahi from distance. De Cuyper had one final opportunity late on, but neither side could find a breakthrough.

The result leaves both teams with back-to-back draws and their qualification hopes still hanging in the balance ahead of the final round of group matches.