Belgium and Iran remain without a win at the FIFA World Cup 2026 after playing out a tense goalless draw in Los Angeles on Saturday. Goalkeepers Alireza Beiranvand and Thibaut Courtois produced a string of fine saves, while Belgium's hopes were dented by Nathan Ngoy's second-half red card. Despite playing the final 24 minutes with an extra man, Iran were unable to find the breakthrough.
Belgium entered the game without the ill Jeremy Doku, while Romelu Lukaku made his first start for club or country since June last year. Rudi Garcia's side controlled possession for long spells but struggled to break down Iran's disciplined defence. Their best first-half opportunity came when Youri Tielemans unleashed a powerful drive at the near post, only for Beiranvand to produce a sharp save.
Iran, content to sit deep and defend in numbers, threatened on the counter and from set-pieces. Courtois was called into action to deny Hossein Kanani's close-range effort following a long throw, before Team Melli thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half. An inventive free-kick routine saw Ehsan Hajisafi slip the ball through to Mehdi Taremi, who fired beyond Courtois, but the striker was correctly flagged offside.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh marked his 100th international appearance, while Taremi again tested Courtois with a fierce volley after another dangerous long throw. At the opposite end, Beiranvand remained equal to the task, producing two excellent low saves to keep out Maxim De Cuyper.
Belgium's task became significantly harder in the 66th minute when Nathan Ngoy was shown a straight red card. The defender's heavy touch allowed Taremi to race clear, forcing Ngoy to bring him down as the last man.
Despite enjoying a numerical advantage for the closing stages, Iran were unable to find the breakthrough against a resilient Belgian defence. Courtois and company held firm to secure a point, leaving both teams with two draws from two matches and plenty still to play for in the race to qualify from Group G.
