No previous meetings between these teams.
-
1
Ramin Rezaeian1 - 2Mohammad Mohebbi1
- 1
Kevin De Bruyne4 - 2Shahriyar Moghanloo3
- 3Leandro Trossard3
- 4Saman Ghoddos2
- 5Romelu Lukaku2
- 6Mehdi Taremi2
- 7Mohammad Mohebbi2
- 8Saeid Ezatolahi2
- 9Youri Tielemans2
- 10Brandon Mechele2
- 1Timothy Castagne4
- 2Saman Ghoddos2
- 3Milad Mohammadi2
- 4Brandon Mechele2
- 5Ramin Rezaeian1
- 6Shoja Khalilzadeh1
- 7Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh1
- 8Charles De Ketelaere1
- 9Shahriyar Moghanloo1
- 10Thomas Meunier1
Belgium will be expecting to take charge of Group G by beating Iran when the two teams meet on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium. Get our Belgium vs Iran predictions plus tips, stats and odds here.
Group G is finely poised after Matchday One. Belgium, the overwhelming favourites to top the group, were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt and required a second-half own goal from Mohamed Hany in order to simply rescue a point.
The other game in the group finished level, with Iran twice levelling against New Zealand to draw 2-2. That result doesn’t really suit either of those teams though. They now know they’ll need to upset the odds against either Belgium or Egypt and Iran will be looking to do exactly that against the Red Devils in this match.
| Our Prediction | Odds & Bookmaker | Confidence | Why We’re Backing It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramin Rezaeian over 3.5 tackles | 7/5 @ Sky Bet (41.7%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Ramin Rezaeian was in the thick of the action in Iran’s opening game. He scored his nation’s first equaliser and assisted their second. The 36 year old full-back also made three tackles and he will likely be called on to make even more against Belgium. His direct opponent on the left wing for the Red Devils will likely be Jeremy Doku, known for his dribbling ability. He’ll be faced with the task of slowing the Manchester City man down here – expect tackles, maybe a few fouls and maybe even a card for the Esteghlal man. |
| Over 27.5 match shots | 6/5 @ William Hill (45.45%) | ⭐⭐⭐ | Shots were on the menu in the opening two games in Group H. Belgium took 15 of the 29 shots in their 1-1 draw with Egypt, while Iran managed 17 from 31 in their 2-2 draw with New Zealand. Expect the bulk of the attempts to come from the Red Devils, but Iran will certainly carry a threat on the break and this Belgian outfit is nowhere near as strong defensively as previous iterations. |
How both teams go into Belgium vs Iran
Both Belgium and Iran drew their opening games of the tournament and neither side will be particularly happy with those results. As the favourites for the group, the Red Devils will have expected to win all three matches but their Matchday One opponents Egypt are potentially their most difficult opponents. It was far from a fluent performance from Rudi Gracia’s men though and they needed an own goal just to rescue a point having fell behind to the AFC outfit.
Unbeaten in over a year, Belgium haven’t lost any of their last 14 matches following that draw with Egypt, but this squad doesn’t quite possess the same star talent of previous tournaments. They’ll still expect to go deep in the tournament and to top the group. But the Red Devils will need to take three points from this match to put themselves in the best possible position to achieve that ahead of their final group stage match against New Zealand.
Iran will no doubt see their 2-2 draw with New Zealand as a missed opportunity. Knowing that the All Whites are considered to be the weakest team in the group, a victory in that match could well have been enough to secure a passage into second round. Instead, after a very slow start, they needed to come from behind twice just to rescue a point.
There’s still a good chance of progression for Amir Ghalenoei’s side, but in reality they’ll know their best chance of securing three points is in their final group game against Egypt. If they can show the same attacking intent as displayed against the Kiwis but with more defensive solidity, they could spring a shock in this game.
Belgium team news
Expect Rudi Gracia to make some changes to his side after that underwhelming display against Egypt. Romelu Lukaku looked threatening after being introduced from the bench, but isn’t fully fit having barely palyed for Napoli in the 2025/26 campaign and he may not be risked from the start. One option for Gracia could be to move Trossard central as a false nine if he decides to drop Charles de Ketelaere from the starting eleven.
Zeno Debast remains sidelined with a thigh injury, but both Maxim De Cuyper and Joaquin Seys will be hoping for a call-up with the experienced full-back partnership of Timothy Castagne and Thomas Meunier under pressure. Attacker Matias Fernandez-Pardo will also feel worthy of a call-up after a strong showing from the bench against the Pharaohs.
Iran team news
Iran may have to make some changes to their midfield from the draw with New Zealand. Both Roozbeh Cheshmi and Saman Ghoddos are considered doubts for the match, with the former Brentford man Ghoddos being forced off against the All Whites due to an ankle knock. Ehsan Hajisafi, who was subbed on in his place in that game, seems the most likely to replace Ghoddos in the eleven.
The only other question mark is in attack. Shahriyar Moghanloo only played 53 minutes in the team’s opening game and the likes of Mehdi Ghayedi and even the Belgian-based Dennis Eckert may be in line to partner Mehdi Taremi instead for this one.
Head-to-Head
This is the first ever meeting between these two nations.
Can Belgium kickstart their campaign or will Iran hold out?
After a substandard showing against Egypt, the Red Devils will be out to silence some doubters and prove themselves to still be genuine contenders. Anything less than a comfortable win in this game will raise more questions. Iran meanwhile know their best chance of picking up a win is likely to come against Egypt.
The main attacking outlet in this Belgian outfit is winger Jeremy Doku, which could mean a tough afternoon for Ramin Rezaeian. He was heavily involved in the draw with New Zealand at both ends of the pitch – we’re backing him for over 3.5 tackles at 7/5 with BetAhoy.
We’re also backing shots here. Belgium will pile the pressure on, which could leave gaps for Iran on the break and Team Melli managed 17 in their own opening game against New Zealand. Over 27.5 shots at 6/5 with William Hill feels like good value.
Read more:
