Belgium and Iran Kick Off Group G's Second Round

Sunday evening at the World Cup brings us to Los Angeles for the clash between Belgium and Iran. This Matchday 2 fixture in Group G kicks off at 10:00 PM Bulgarian time.

The group stage is tightly contested, with all four teams – Belgium, Iran, Egypt, and New Zealand – currently level on one point after their opening matches.

All World Cup matches are streamed live on bnt.sportal.bg. The platform will broadcast all 104 games from the 2026 World Cup schedule in real-time.

Belgium's head coach, Rudi Garcia, faced a significant setback just hours before the game. Star winger Jérémy Doku has been ruled out due to a respiratory viral illness. His absence is a major blow, as he was one of the "Red Devils'" standout performers in their first match. Defender Zeno Debast also remains sidelined with an injury. Nevertheless, Belgium will rely on Thibaut Courtois' experience between the posts, Kevin De Bruyne's creativity in midfield, and the goal-scoring prowess of Romelu Lukaku, who is expected to lead the attack after making a strong impact as a substitute against Egypt.

Iran's preparations for this match have once again been overshadowed by persistent off-field issues. Following their encounter with New Zealand, US authorities reportedly denied the players permission to even stay overnight on American soil, forcing them to return immediately to Mexico.

Interestingly, Belgium and Iran have never met in an official competitive match. The Belgians enter this fixture with mixed feelings about their recent form – a 1-1 draw with Egypt, but also impressive friendly victories against Tunisia (5-0) and Croatia (2-0) leading up to the tournament. Iran, on the other hand, has shown significant attacking potency, scoring 12 goals in their last five matches, including a dominant 5-0 win over Costa Rica in March.