2026 World Cup: Belgium vs. Iran, Probable Lineups

The second matchday of Group G at the 2026 World Cup kicks off on Sunday evening Italian time, when Belgium and Iran will face off at 9 p.m. (12 p.m. local time) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, just a few kilometers from downtown Los Angeles. Both teams are coming off draws on the first matchday and face a number of uncertainties heading into the decisive group stage matches.

Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt in its first match: Trailing from the 20th minute after Ashour’s goal, the Red Devils equalized in the 66th minute with an own goal by Hany, whose attempt to beat Lukaku to the ball backfired on his own team. Lukaku himself could be the key to the match against Iran: however, the Napoli forward may not yet have the stamina for a full 90 minutes, which is why Rudi Garcia is more inclined to bring him on again in the second half.

Iran, meanwhile, is coming off a 2-2 draw against New Zealand, with goals from Rezaeian and Mohebi canceling out Just’s two-goal performance. Team Melli, whose World Cup participation has been the subject of debate for months, has complained about the negative effects of organizational difficulties, foremost among them the need to leave the United States to return to Mexico (the Iranian team’s training camp is in Tijuana) immediately after the match. The Iranian national team is, however, very much in the running to advance to the next round.

Probable lineups

BELGIUM (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele, Castagne; Onana, Tielemans; Trossard, De Bruyne, Fernandez-Pardo; De Ketelaere. Head Coach: Garcia.

IRAN (4-4-2): Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi; Mohebi, Ghoddos, Ezatolahi, Ghayedi; Moghanlou, Taremi. Head Coach: Ghalenoei.