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The top of the note left in the dressing room by Iran’s football team
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Iran left a handwritten message in their World Cup dressing room referencing the victims of a US missile strike.
A note written after the 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday read: “From the ancient Persia thousands of years ago to the civilised Iran of today, the spirit of Iran remains alive and steadfast. We came to Los Angeles with pride, competed with honour, and leave with dignity. Thank you, Los Angeles, for your hospitality.
“And thank you to every Iranian who gave their heart, voice and soul for Iran throughout these 180 minutes [the two games Iran played in LA]. May peace, respect and friendship prevail among all nations.”
The note also contained the phrases “#168” and “#Minab”, which are references to the number of people killed – most of them children – in a missile strike on a school in Minab during the early stage of the US-led war with Iran.
Iran’s players arrived at the World Cup earlier this month wearing #168 pin badges and their first two matches were held despite huge tension between the country’s football team and the US authorities.
The mudslinging continued until close to kick-off on Sunday after Markwayne Mullin, the US homeland security secretary, alleged that someone possibly pretending to be Iran Football Federation president Mehdi Taj and with “direct ties” to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had tried to board a plane to Los Angeles with the football team, only to be stopped.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) responded by accusing the US of peddling “lies” and claimed they were out to sabotage their participation in the World Cup.
The previous night, Amir Ghalenoei, the Iran coach, said they felt “robbed” because of their treatment at the tournament. Ghalenoei suggested he had been forced to cut training sessions in half because of the travel chaos Iran have faced. The team claim they have been forced to leave US soil after matches, returning to their training camp in Mexico rather than being permitted to recover at a hotel close to the stadium.
Before Sunday’s match, the Iran players also heard many in the crowd booing their national anthem.
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Large sections of the crowd booed Iran’s national anthem - Alex Livesey/Getty Images
It is increasingly clear that “Team Melli”, as the Iran team are known at home, have no intention of going quietly, on or off the pitch, however. A hard-fought draw against the toothless 10 men of Belgium boosted their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in their history, and Alireza Jahanbakhsh, the former Brighton winger, said the chaos surrounding the team was only strengthening their cause.
“I think that’s united us even more,” Jahanbakhsh said. “We’ve shown great team character and part of it comes from the situation we are in, obviously.”
Certainly a siege mentality is taking hold. Ghalenoei fielded a team with the oldest average starting XI of any in World Cup history and they used every bit of their experience to frustrate a Belgium side who are developing something of a complex in front of goal.
It is now 1,306 days since a Belgian player last scored a goal at a World Cup and you got the impression here that they could have played long into the night and still not found the net, especially with Alireza Beiranvand, the Iran goalkeeper, in inspired form.
Missing their best player, Jérémy Doku, through illness, Belgium played the final 24 minutes of the game with 10 men after defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off. He could have no complaints. After under-hitting a back-pass, Taremi was about to break through on goal when the Belgium centre-back pulled back the Iran captain.
Given the travel chaos and logistical disruption Iran have had to contend with at this World Cup, it would be quite something if they made it through to the round of 32 and they have given themselves every opportunity to do so after claiming their second point of the tournament.
All eyes will now turn to their meeting with Egypt in Seattle on Friday, when Iran hope to be given permission to fly into the US two days before the game. “If we play with the same energy we’ll have every chance,” Jahanbakhsh said.
Belgium’s best chances fell to Brighton’s Maxim De Cuyper, but he ran into a roadblock in the shape of Beiranvand, who made a stunning save five minutes after the restart to scramble across his goal-line to deny the Belgium defender.
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Iran goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made a brave save to deny Maxim De Cuyper - Etienne Laurent/AFP
Still, you have to go back to the opening game of the previous edition in November 2022 to find the last time a Belgium player scored at a World Cup. That was Michy Batshuayi, since when 406 minutes and more than 60 shots have elapsed without a goal by a Red Devils player. Against Egypt, it took an own goal from Mohamed Hamdy to claim a 1-1 draw.
They can still avoid the ignominy of a second successive group-stage exit at the World Cup, but they need Doku back. The Manchester City winger was missing through illness, after contracting a respiratory infection that has required antibiotics, and, against an obdurate, low block and five-man defensive line, they badly missed his pace and penetration. Romelu Lukaku started up front for his country for the first time in a year, but the striker was anonymous.
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Belgium were toothless against Iran - Shaun Clark/Getty Images
Belgium’s challenge got harder when Ngoy was dismissed but, despite carving chances, monopolising the ball and the best efforts of Kevin De Bruyne, they still disappointed. They were also indebted to Thibaut Courtois, their goalkeeper, who made good saves to deny Hossein Kanaani and later Taremi, and were grateful the latter was a fingernail offside after scoring from a well-worked free-kick routine in the first half.
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10:23pm
Failing to take their chances
10:19pm
What of Kevin De Bruyne?
10:17pm
What to look forward to tomorrow
Group G:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am
Group J:
Argentina vs Austria 6pm
Group I:
France vs Iraq 10pm
10:15pm
Belgium’s mood right now?
10:12pm
Group G fixtures (UK times)
Monday June 15:
Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (Seattle)
Tuesday June 16:
Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (Los Angeles)
Today:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 (Los Angeles)
Monday June 22:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am (Vancouver)
Saturday June 27:
Egypt vs Iran 4am (Seattle)
New Zealand vs Belgium 4am (Vancouver)
10:09pmVideo
Not mincing his words
Roy Keane on ITV has described the overall quality of this game “rubbish”. Say what you really think Roy! Here he is:
10:09pm
Group G table
- Iran- 2 points (2 games)
- Belgium- 2 points (2 games)
- New Zealand- 1 point (1 game)
- Egypt- 1 point (1 game)
New Zealand take on Egypt in Vancouver in a few hours’ time in their second games of the group.
10:07pm
Today’s games
Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 FT
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
10:04pm
FT stats
Possession: Belgium 70%-30% Iran
Shots: 23-7
Shots on target: 7-3
Corners: 4-2
Touches in opposition box: 42-15
10:00pm
Full time
The final whistle is blown and both sides have to settle for a point, which means both teams have drawn their first two games. Belgium actually negotiated being down to 10 men reasonably well.
10:00pm
90+4 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
There is one final opportunity for Brlgium as Lukebakio cuts inside from the right and curls one towards the top corner but it just misses the target.
09:59pm
90+3 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Fernandez-Pardo shows good footwork to cut inside from the left and looks to pick out the far corner but misses the target by quite some way. Was that Belgium’s final chance?
09:57pm
90+2 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Will we see a very, very late winner? It is quite open, despite Belgium being down to 10 men.
09:55pm
90 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
The answer is that we are going to see five minutes of added time. I am very, very surprised by that! Considering we had a three-minute hyrdation break and both sides have made five changes, that feels very low.
09:54pm
89 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
How many added minutes are we going to see? When you combine the hydration break with a lot of substitutions, I suspect we are going to see at least eight minutes added on.
09:52pm
87 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Belgium make their final change as Rudi Garcia brings De Bruyne off and replaces him with Fernandez-Pardo.
09:51pm
85 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
For the second time in the half, De Cuyper is denied by Beiranvand. The cross comes in from the right and comes all the way across to De Cuyper, who strikes it towards goal but Beiranvand makes the save.
09:51pm
84 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Iran make their final change of the game as Hosseinzadeh comes on.
09:48pm
83 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
With the man advantage, this is a massive opportunity for Iran to win this game and move onto four points, which would almost guarantee their place in the knockout stages. It would also take a lot of pressure off their final game against Egypt.
09:47pm
81 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Ezatolahi steals the ball from De Bruyne inside the Belgium half and the space opens up for Ezatolahi to shoot. He takes the shot on and forces Courtois into a decent save.
09:44pm
78 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Change for Iran as Moghanloo replaces Ghoddos.
09:42pm
77 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Up until this point, Belgium have had over 75% possession but those statistics are going to dramatically change over the next 13 minutes plus extra time, which there will be plenty of.
09:38pm
72 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
The timing of the hydration break for Belgium could probably not have been any better as Rudi Garcia have to adjust to being down to 10 men. You would anticipate plenty of tactical chat would have taken place during that break.
They have also made a change, bringing on a defender in the form of Theate to cover for Ngoy’s red card. Lukaku is the man withdrawn.
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How costly will Nathan Ngoy’s red card be for Belgium? - Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
09:35pm
69 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Time for a hydration break.
09:32pmKey moments • Video
RED CARD! Ngoy given his marching orders
Belgium are down to 10 men! Ngoy attempts a back pass from just inside his own half and it is a dreadful attempt that is nowhere near getting anywhere near his keeper Courtois. Taremi races to get on the end of it but Ngoy pulls him down. Ngoy is shown a red card as he was the last man and denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Ngoy panicked and made such a rash decision. How costly could that be for Belgium?
09:31pm
66 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Chance for Iran. Rezaeian’s corner from the left finds Khalilzadeh at the far post but the latter’s header goes wide.
Double change for Iran as Torabi and Mohammadi come on for Hajisafi and Mohebbi.
09:28pm
62 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Lukebakio cuts inside from the right and shoots from the corner of the penalty area. Beiranvand parries the shot straight into the path of Vanaken near the edge of the box but the Belgian cannot guide his effort on target.
09:25pm
59 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
How have Belgium not scored there? De Bruyne is found making a run in behind and brings it down under his control just before the byline. His cross is initially blocked but the ball falls to De Cuyper, who must surely score but is denied by a fine save from Beiranvand. It is a great save but De Cuyper probably should not have given Beiranvand a chance.
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A great view of a great save - Lisi Niesner/Reuters
09:23pm
57 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
The answer to the question I asked at half-time about when Rudi Garcia might turn to his bench is just over 10 minutes into this second half. Belgium are making a triple change as Castagane, Lukebakio and Vanaken come on. Meunier, Saelemaekers and Raskin head off.
09:20pm
54 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Trossard plays a good ball into Lukaku inside the Iran penalty area. Lukaku’s hold-up play initially is good but just as he is about to shoot he lets the ball get away from him and the chance is gone.
09:18pm
52 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Big save from Courtois. Belgium fail to deal with a long throw by Jahanbakhsh and the ball falls to Taremi, who strikes his shot well but is denied by a good save from Courtois.
09:17pm
51 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
De Cuyper shows good footwork just outside the box before shooting but his effort is blocked by Khalilzadeh, who is struck in a rather tender area. Safe to say I probably do not need to explain any further!
09:15pm
50 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
De Bruyne’s corner from the left goes beyond the back post and picks out Saelemaekers, who gets his leg up high and volleys first time. He strikes it well but his effort goes into the side netting.
09:14pm
48 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Trossard has gone down and stayed down after a challenge from Jahanbakhsh, who did catch Trossard on the back of the leg. After over a minute down on the ground, Trossard is now back to his feet. Belgium did not want the physios to come on or else it would have meant Trossard having to stay off the pitch for a minute.
09:11pm
46 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Within seconds of coming on, Jahanbakhsh has a shot from the right side of the box but drags his effort wide.
09:10pm
Second half
We are back under way in Los Angeles. As it stands, both of these sides would end up with two draws out of two from their first couple of games.
Iran have decided to make a change at the break as former Brighton man Jahanbakhsh replaces Hardani.
09:07pm
Changes necessary?
Will Rudi Garcia opt for any substitutions at the break? His side had loads and loads of possession in the first half but did not do a huge amount with it. I suspect he will give it another 10 or 15 minutes before pressing the substitution button. Attacking players like Fernandez-Pardo and De Ketelaere are available off the Belgium bench.
09:03pm
Today’s games
Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium 0 Iran 0 HT
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
08:57pm
HT stats
Possession: Belgium 81%-19% Iran
Shots: 11-2
Shots on target: 4-1
Corners: 2-1
Touches in opposition box: 22-5
Iran had just 19% possession in that first half and Belgium had far more shots but Iran were the closest to getting the opener.
08:53pm
Half-time
A long first half in Los Angeles is brought to an end and it remains goalless. Iran thought they had taken the lead only for Taremi’s goal to be ruled out for offside.
08:51pm
45+6 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Tensions have just threatened a touch to boil over, with Mohebbi and Saelemaekers come to blows.
08:50pm
45+5 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Belgium have had 80% possession, yes 80%, in this first half, but the game remains goalless. Iran were the ones as well to come closest to scoring with Taremi’s effort ruled out for offside.
08:46pm
45 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
There will be a mere eight minutes of added time, due to the hydration break and that early collision between Lukaku and Beiranvand.
08:44pm
43 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Good opportunity for Belgium. Tielemans clips in a lovely ball from a fairly central position all the way to the far post, where De Cuyper meets it. De Cuyper hits it on the volley but is denied by a good save from Beiranvand.
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Good save - Matthew Childs/Reuters
08:41pmVideo
41 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Belgium have a throw-in deep inside the Iranian half but Meunier is penalised for taking too long over it. Good to see referees clamping down on players taking ages over throw-ins.
08:39pm
39 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
De Bruyne wins a free-kick for Belgium and is not happy that he believes he is constantly being fouled by the Iranian players. The latest incident saw Iran captain Hajisafi trip him up but no yellow card.
The free-kick comes to nothing.
08:36pm
36 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Tieleman’s cross from the left picks out Lukaku, who got in front of his marker but his header goes a fair way over the bar.
08:33pm
33 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
The first Iranian player into the book is Ezatolahi, who is shown a yellow card for hauling down Tielemans.
08:29pm
29 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
A bit later than we normally have seen in this World Cup, we go to the hydration break, much to the annoyance of the crowd.
08:27pmKey moments • Analysis
NO GOAL! Taremi’s effort ruled out
Iran’s joy is short-lived as Taremi was offside. It was a close call, hence why it took a bit of time to get the decision, but offside is black or white. The game remains at 0-0 but a huge warning and let-off for Belgium.
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That’s a beautifully executed free-kick routine with Hajisafi shaping to shoot but instead slotting a disguised pass of which De Bruyne would be proud into the feet of Taremi who turns smartly and finishes but the goal is ruled offside following a VAR check.
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Iran thought they were ahead but not to be - Mark J. Terrill/AP
08:25pm
GOAL! Taremi puts Iran in front
Against the run of play, Iran take the lead! It is a well-worked goal as Hajisafi fakes shooting from a free-kick not far outside the Belgium goal, instead passing it to Taremi. On the turn, Taremi takes a lovely first touch on the edge of the Belgium penalty area before slotting past Courtois. There will however be a check to see if Taremi was offside from Hajisafi’s pass...
08:23pm
23 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
The TV cameras have picked out George Weah in the stands in Los Angeles today.
Iran keeper Beiranvand still appears to be struggling with his neck from that collision with Lukaku just a few minutes into the game.
08:22pm
21 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Belgium are enjoying plenty of the ball but currently lacking that killer instinct in the final third.
They do though come close to breaking the deadlock through their captain as Tielemans, from the right side of the box, fires a shot towards the near post but Beiranvand gets down well to his left to make the save. Tielemans struck that shot well.
08:15pm
14 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Iran have barely gone across the halfway line with the ball but nearly score with their first venture forward. Belgium fail to deal properly with a ball into the box and the ball comes to the Iran defender Kanani, who takes a touch before shooting on the swivel from around 12 yards out. That forces Courtois into a decent save to his right and Iran will have their first corner of the game.
Rezaeian swings it in to the back post, where he picks out Ezatolahi but his header goes wide. That was a decent opportunity for Ezatolahi.
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Iran come close to taking the lead - Daniel Cole/Reuters
08:13pm
13 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Belgium have been on top in these early stages but so far have not found the opener.
08:09pm
9 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
A double chance for Belgium. Trossard’s cross from the left picks out De Bruyne, whose shot is blocked. The ball then comes to De Cuyper, who shoots but is denied by Beiranvand.
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It’s Belgium versus Dad’s Army at Los Angeles Stadium. Iran have named the oldest starting XI for a World Cup game on record, going back to 1966 since when Opta have data, at 32 years, 181 days average.
08:08pm
8 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
De Bruyne receives it out on the left after Raskin won the ball back for Belgium inside the Iran half. As he enters the Iranian box, De Bruyne cuts inside onto his right foot and tries to curl one into the far corner but misses the target.
08:07pm
7 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Rio Ferdinand is taking in this game in Los Angeles.
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The former England defender in the house - Daniel Cole/Reuters
We are now back under way.
08:05pm
6 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Beiranvand was down for a couple of minutes receiving treatment but is now back to his feet. It appears the damage to Beiranvand is primarily in the neck region.
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That would have hurt! - Matthew Childs/Reuters
08:04pm
3 mins: Belgium 0 Iran 0
Rudi Garcia decided to make four changes today from their 1-1 draw with Egypt, with one of those enforced due to Doku’s absence. How will the likes of Lukaku and Saelemaekers fare from the start today?
Belgium have the first corner of the game out on the right, which De Cuyper, who is one to come into their starting XI, will take. The inswinger is headed away at the near post but Belgium keep it alive.
De Bruyne then whips in a dangerous delivery, which the Iran keeper Beiranvand spills. He is then caught late by Lukaku, who is booked for that challenge. I am not sure there was much malice in that challenge but Lukau did catch Beiranvand. I think it was an honest attempt for the ball.
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Heavy collision - Lisi Niesner/Reuters
08:00pm
Kick-off
We are under way at Los Angeles Stadium. Both of these sides drew their first games so can either find their first victory of the tournament? A win would almost guarantee a spot in the last 32.
07:56pm
Reminder of the teams
Belgium: Courtois, Mechele, De Cuyper, Meunier, Ngoy, De Bruyne, Tielemans, Saelemaekers, Raskin, Lukaku, Trossard.
Substitutes: Lammens, Penders, Theate, Winter, Seys, Castagne, Witzel, Moreira, Vanaken, Onana, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Fernandez-Pardo.
Iran: Beiranvand, Hardani, Hajisafi, Kanani, Nemati, Rezaeian, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Taremi.
Substitutes: Niazmand, Hosseini, Mohammadi, Yousefi, Iri, Jahanbaksh, Cheshmi, Torabi, Ghorbani, Razaghinia, Ghayedi, Alipour, Hosseinzadeh, Moghanloo, Dargahi.
07:53pmKey moments
Anthem time
As we have come to expect at this World Cup, all members of each squad head out for the national anthems, although there is no Jeremy Doku with Belgium due to illness. I do not think we are going to see this cotton on anywhere else so it may well be unique to this World Cup!
We are ready for the national anthems. Belgium’s La Brabançonne followed by Iran’s Sorud-e Melli-ye Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Irân. The name of the Iranian national anthem is quite long to say the least. The Iranian anthem is met with plenty of boos from inside Los Angeles Stadium.
07:49pm
Another storm brewing?
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The Iran Football Federation (FFIRI) have accused the US of pedalling “lies” over claims a man with “direct ties” to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to enter the country with the Iran national team. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Sunday that someone operating under the guise of being the president of the FFIRI tried to enter the US with Iran’s football team but was not allowed to board the plane on Saturday.
“When we started doing the research on him, he had only been put in place since 2022, and we didn’t allow him to board the plane,” Mullin told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures show. “The guy trying to get on the plane yesterday had direct ties to IRGC.”
Mullin’s claims have sparked a furious reaction from the FFIRI, who accused him of making “false, fabricated and entirely baseless allegations” amid escalating tensions. FFIRI president Mehdi Taj is one of the Iranian officials who has been denied a visa by US authorities on the basis of his past alleged links to the IRGC. But the FFIRI insisted that claims an official representative of the federation had attempted to board a flight to the US on Saturday and was prevented from doing so was “an outright and undeniable lie”.
“This claim is so unfounded that those who made it are well aware that such an incident never occurred in the first person,” the FFIRI said in a statement. “It is regrettable that a senior U.S. official has resorted to spreading false statements and misinformation in order to justify restrictions imposed on members of the Iranian national team delegation.”
07:47pm
In from the start
Belgium boss Rudi Garcia has decided to give Romelu Lukaku the start for the Red Devils. Lukaku had a big impact on the goal Belgium scored against Egypt, which ended up being an own goal, seconds after coming onto the pitch. He barely played at all for Napoli last season so how long will he last today?
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Romelu Lukaku starts for Belgium today - Daniel Cole/Reuters
07:41pm
Recent form for each side
Belgium:
June 2026: Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (World Cup)
June 2026: Belgium 5 Tunisia 0 (Friendly)
June 2026: Croatia 0 Belgium 2 (Friendly)
April 2026: Mexico 1 Belgium 1 (Friendly)
March 2026: USA 2 Belgium 5 (Friendly)
Iran:
June 2026: Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (World Cup)
June 2026: Iran 2 Mali 0 (Friendly)
May 2026: Iran 3 Gambia 1 (Friendly)
March 2026: Costa Rica 0 Iran 5 (Friendly)
March 2026: Iran 1 Nigeria 2 (Friendly)
07:37pm
ITV crew on off-field issues facing Iran
07:30pm
Group G fixtures (UK times)
Monday June 15:
Belgium 1 Egypt 1 (Seattle)
Tuesday June 16:
Iran 2 New Zealand 2 (Los Angeles)
Today:
Belgium vs Iran 8pm (Los Angeles)
Monday June 22:
New Zealand vs Egypt 2am (Vancouver)
Saturday June 27:
Egypt vs Iran 4am (Seattle)
New Zealand vs Belgium 4am (Vancouver)
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Leandro Trossard starts for Belgium - Lisi Niesner/Reuters
07:22pm
Today’s games
Group E:
Ecuador 0 Curacao 0
Group F:
Tunisia 0 Japan 4
Group H:
Spain 4 Saudi Arabia 0
Group G:
Belgium vs Iran 8pm
Group H:
Uruguay vs Cape Verde 11pm
07:16pm
Atmosphere building
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This Belgian fan is really going for it! - Daniel Cole/Reuters
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Iran earned a point in their first game against New Zealand - Kiyoshi Mio/Reuters
07:12pm
Keep up-to-date
07:08pm
“Bizarre row”
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Jeremy Doku is at the centre of the World Cup’s most bizarre row after he was criticised for wanting to leave Belgium’s camp to attend the birth of his first child.
The Manchester City winger was substituted during his country’s opening 1-1 draw with Egypt last week and has spent the time since struggling to overcome a virus that may preclude his involvement in Monday’s game against Iran.
But Doku is looking at a bigger picture and with his wife, Shireen, heavily pregnant, he is working out when he will be able to return to Europe to be present for the most important event in a person’s life.
“I would like to be there,” he said. “No father would want to miss that. I know that the federation is aware and we will see what we can do. The baby could arrive before the end of the tournament.”
This, however, has invoked an almighty backlash from commentators. For some reason, Doku has been castigated for putting becoming a new parent ahead of playing football, with some of his former coaches and a raft of TV pundits indicating he was letting his country down.
“When you go to the World Cup, it’s a choice,” Peter Janssens, who coached Doku as a youth player, told Belgian website VRT. “It might sound a bit harsh, but if you’re there, it’s because you have chosen to play. The baby will still be there afterwards.”
Former Belgium international Gert Verheyen jokingly suggested that Doku would be twiddling his thumbs in the hospital.
“The only thing you can say is: ‘You’re doing great, keep going’,” said Verheyen.
07:05pm
Teams in full
Belgium: Courtois, Mechele, De Cuyper, Meunier, Ngoy, De Bruyne, Tielemans, Saelemaekers, Raskin, Lukaku, Trossard.
Substitutes: Lammens, Penders, Theate, Winter, Seys, Castagne, Witzel, Moreira, Vanaken, Onana, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere, Fernandez-Pardo.
Iran: Beiranvand, Hardani, Hajisafi, Kanani, Nemati, Rezaeian, Ezatolahi, Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Taremi.
Substitutes: Niazmand, Hosseini, Mohammadi, Yousefi, Iri, Jahanbaksh, Cheshmi, Torabi, Ghorbani, Razaghinia, Ghayedi, Alipour, Hosseinzadeh, Moghanloo, Dargahi.
07:01pm
Get your fix!
06:55pm
Fancy a flutter?
06:47pm
Surprise up top
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Lukaku starts up front for Belgium against Iran, which has come as a bit of a surprise. Belgium’s official X feed @BelRedDevils has produced a rather novel image to reveal the team, listing all the starting XI on the boxes of popcorn.
06:45pmKey moments
Belgium team
06:43pm
No Doku for Belgium
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The big news from the Belgium end is that Jeremy Doku is unavailable against Iran due to illness. Rudi Garcia, the Belgium coach, did not look particularly happy about the situation at his press conference yesterday and made it clear he would only be answering one question on the matter.
“He can’t play, and so we’ll be playing without him,” Garcia said. “I knew since [Friday] evening that he won’t be playing. I don’t want to get players to play if they’re not medically up for the game. I can get players to play even if they’re not 100 percent physically, but 100 percent medically is [more important]. But I’m absolutely 100 percent sure we’ll be fine and we’ll be winning tomorrow.”
There is a degree of nervousness around the Doku situation, though, after the Manchester City winger Doku said he wants to leave Belgium’s camp to be with his wife when she gives birth to their first child - assuming Garcia’s side are still in the tournament by then. Doku’s wife Shireen is due to give birth during the second week of July and he intends to return home even if Belgium are still involved in the World Cup, which by then would be at the quarter-final stage.
His stance drew a bizarre critic from L’Equipe channel presenter France Pierron, who said a father is “completely useless” at the time of their child’s birth - remarks that drew an angry backlash on social media that prompted her to explain her comments and apologise for any offence caused.
According to reports in Belgian media, Doku has been on antibiotics since falling ill. He had a cold before leaving for Seattle, where Belgium are based in the US, and then reportedly developed symptoms of a respiratory infection in the days after their arrival in Seattle. He picked up before their opening game against Egypt but then his symptoms returned and worsened on Friday, making it hard to sleep. Belgium are now working towards ensuring he is ready for their final group game against New Zealand. In a team with ageing stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, the City winger is their biggest attacking threat these days so his absence for such an important game in their efforts to qualify for the knockout stages has been poorly timed.
06:39pmKey moments
Both sides seeking their first wins of the tournament
Belgium will be looking to step a big step towards qualification for the knockout stages as they take on Iran in Los Angeles. Today’s game on the west coast of the United States is the first-ever meeting between the two nations.
Belgium were involved in an engaging opener in their first game in Group G, drawing 1-1 against Egypt in Seattle as they came from behind to earn a point. A victory today would take them to four points, which would almost guarantee a last-32 spot with a game to go.
“We have analyzed Iran less thoroughly than usual because they are a team that is hard to track in friendly matches,” Belgium boss Rudi Garcia said ahead of the game. “However, we have seen that they had a strong qualifying campaign for the World Cup. We obviously watched them in their first match against New Zealand. They have players we know well and others we are less familiar with since we do not follow Asian teams very closely. But everyone obviously knows [Medhi] Taremi. I am French, so I am also familiar with [Saman] Ghoddos, who played for Amiens.
“They are a team that runs a lot, defends well and is strong on set pieces. So, I would say, regardless of who starts for them or who starts for us, whether they have played together before or not, one thing is certain: we have to be at 100 per cent of our ability tomorrow [today] to beat this Iranian team. So, we are focusing much more on ourselves than on the opponent.”
Belgium will be without Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku, who is out due to illness. Doku has said that he could return home for the birth of his first child should his wife give birth during the tournament.
Iran’s build-up to the tournament was dominated by the conflict between the country and co-hosts the United States linked to the war in the Middle East. They are allowed to fly into the US a day before they have a game but have to leave on the same day as a match under the conditions of their visas. Iran are lodging an official complaint to Fifa about these travel restrictions. Iran were involved in a thriller in their first game of Group G, drawing 2-2 against New Zealand in this stadium. Following that game, their head coach Amir Ghalenoei said that they are the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.
Team news to follow shortly.
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