{"id":22512,"date":"2026-06-20T14:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T14:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/22512\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T14:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T14:38:12","slug":"belgium-vs-iran-prediction-world-cup-2026-match-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/22512\/","title":{"rendered":"Belgium vs Iran Prediction: World Cup 2026 Match Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a balanced start left both of these sides with just one point each from their opening FIFA World Cup<\/a> fixtures, we look ahead to Sunday\u2019s clash with our Belgium vs Iran prediction and preview.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belgium vs Iran: The Key Insights<\/p>\n

The Opta supercomputer predicts Belgium as favourites for this clash against Iran, with a strong win probability of 66%.<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s clash will mark the first ever encounter between Belgium and Iran in men\u2019s international football.<\/p>\n

Iran have won just one of their 10 World Cup matches against European opposition (D2 L7).<\/p>\n

Belgium<\/a> and Iran<\/a> both\u00a0came from behind to secure hard-fought\u00a0draws in their respective opening\u00a0World Cup fixtures, making\u00a0Sunday\u2019s clash in Los Angeles one that neither can afford to lose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It will be the first-ever meeting between the nations, adding another layer of intrigue to a tightly-contested Group G.<\/p>\n

And while Belgium\u00a0will\u00a0certainly\u00a0fancy themselves\u00a0favourites to progress, Rudi Garcia\u00a0will know his side produced a below-par display\u00a0in their tournament opener against Egypt.<\/p>\n

After falling behind to a sublime finish from Emam Ashour,\u00a0there\u00a0was little urgency from the Red Devils until after the break.<\/p>\n

The introduction of\u00a0Romelu Lukaku<\/a>\u00a0provided a much-needed\u00a0catalyst, however,\u00a0as his presence forced\u00a0Mohamed Hany\u00a0into an own goal that secured a 1-1 draw.<\/p>\n

\"Belgium<\/p>\n

The\u00a0result\u00a0extended Belgium\u2019s winless\u00a0run\u00a0at the World Cup to three (D2 L1),\u00a0having previously failed to win only two of their prior 13 games at the tournament (W11 L2).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the Opta supercomputer<\/a> still gives Garcia\u2019s side a strong 90.3% chance of progressing from Group G, while\u00a0Iran\u2019s odds of moving onto the next round are placed at\u00a047.6%.<\/p>\n

Amir Ghalenoei\u2019s side\u00a0also fought hard\u00a0to secure a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in their curtain-raiser, with Ramin Rezaeian<\/a> and Mohammad Mohebi<\/a> netting either side of the break to cancel out Elijah Just\u2019s brace.<\/p>\n

\"Iran<\/p>\n

As such, Iran avoided defeat in their opening World Cup match for\u00a0only\u00a0the third time, following a goalless draw with Nigeria in 2014 and a 1-0 win over Morocco in 2018.<\/p>\n

They have never collected points from both of their first two matches at a World Cup, though, meaning a small piece of history will await should they avoid defeat again on Sunday.<\/p>\n

This will be the 10th time Iran have faced a nation ranked within the top 15 of the FIFA world rankings at a World Cup, with seven of their\u00a0previous\u00a0nine such matches ending in defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their only victory came against the USA in 1998, while they also\u00a0held Portugal to a heroic\u00a01-1 draw in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Iran\u00a0may have\u00a0a big mountain to climb, they will take some\u00a0encouragement from\u00a0Belgium\u2019s recent dry spell in front of goal on the big stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Not including own goals, the Red Devils have not scored a World Cup goal since Michy Batshuayi\u2019s group-stage strike against Canada in 2022.<\/p>\n

Indeed, Belgium have failed to score from any of their last 46 shots at the tournament, despite those attempts totalling\u00a05.66 expected goals (xG).<\/p>\n

While\u00a0finishing\u00a0remains\u00a0a\u00a0concern,\u00a0Garcia can still rely on the chaotic energy of J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku<\/a> to create chances.\u00a0Against Egypt on\u00a0Matchday 1, the Manchester City winger\u00a0completed\u00a0three of his 10 attempted dribbles, won possession six times and won five fouls. Only one player has previously recorded those numbers in such excess in a single World Cup match, with Brazil\u2019s Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior doing so against Switzerland in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But if Garcia is to fully solve Belgium\u2019s goalscoring issues, he will need Lukaku to quickly rediscover his scoring touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His substitute appearance against Egypt was his 127th cap for Belgium, moving him level with Toby Alderweireld in third place on the nation\u2019s all-time appearances list, behind Jan Vertonghen (157) and Axel Witsel<\/a> (138).\u00a0However, the Napoli striker has not scored at the\u00a0World Cup since netting a brace against Tunisia in 2018.<\/p>\n

Iran,\u00a0meanwhile, have a veteran of their own they will be counting on in Rezaeian to come good once more. Following his man-of-the-match display against New Zealand, the right-back became the oldest player on record since 1966 (36 years, 86 days) to both score and\u00a0assist\u00a0in a World Cup match, while also becoming the first Iranian to achieve the feat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belgium vs Iran Head-to-Head<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s clash\u00a0presents\u00a0something of an unknown quantity as it will be the first-ever meeting\u00a0between Belgium and Iran\u00a0in any competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unbeaten in their last 14 matches across competitions, Belgium will\u00a0arrive\u00a0with confidence, though\u00a0Garcia will know his side can\u00a0ill afford another slip up if they are to progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iran, meanwhile, have won just one of their 10 World Cup matches against European opposition (D2 L7), though that victory came in their most recent such\u00a0encounter\u00a0\u2013 a 2-0 win over Wales in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belgium vs Iran Prediction<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, the Opta supercomputer could not look past a Belgium win for this match\u00a0in LA.<\/p>\n

The Red Devils triumphed in 66%\u00a0of the\u00a010,000 pre-match simulations, while Iran\u2019s chances of victory are\u00a0rated at just\u00a015.1%. The probability of a draw, then, is left at 18.9%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Belgium<\/p>\n

Belgium vs Iran Squads<\/p>\n

Belgium: Thibaut Courtois, Senne Lammens, Mike Penders, Zeno Debast, Arthur Theate, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Thomas Meunier, Koni De Winter, Joaquin Seys, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Hans Vanaken, Nicolas Raskin, Amadou Onana, Romelu Lukaku, Leandro Trossard, J\u00e9r\u00e9my Doku, Dodi Luk\u00e9bakio, Charles De Ketelaere, Diego Moreira, Alexis Saelemaekers, Matias Fernandez-Pardo.<\/p>\n

Iran: Alireza Beiranvand, Payam Niazmand, Hossein Hosseini, Saleh Hardani, Ehsan Hajisafi, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Milad Mohammadi, Hossein Kanani, Arya Yousefi, Ali Nemati, Ramin Rezaeian, Danial Eiri, Saeid Ezatolahi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mohammad Mohebbi, Saman Ghoddos, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Mehdi Torabi, Mohammad Ghorbani, Amir Mohammad Razzaghinia, Mehdi Taremi, Mehdi Ghayedi, Ali Alipour, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Shahriyar Moghanloo, Dennis Dargahi.<\/p>\n

Belgium vs Iran Predicted Lineups<\/p>\n

\"Belgium<\/p>\n

\"Iran<\/p>\n

\"FIFA<\/a><\/p>\n

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