LOS ANGELES: Belgium will look to kick-start their World Cup campaign against Iran in a pivotal Group ‘G’ clash at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday, with all four teams deadlocked on one point apiece.

The Red Devils were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Egypt in their opener after a sluggish performance.

Belgium fell behind in the first half before the country’s all-time leading scorer Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to inject urgency into the attack and help force an equaliser through an Egyptian own goal after the break.

Belgium are seeking to banish the memory of their 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were eliminated in the group stage despite arriving as one of the tournament favourites.

They are expected to take a more aggressive approach against Iran, led by veteran midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, exciting winger Jeremy Doku and towering goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Iran, meanwhile, will need to tighten up defensively after being held to a 2-2 draw by New Zealand, when Elijah Just and Chris Wood repeatedly troubled the Iranian back line.

Iran will look to captain Mehdi Taremi, along with Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi, who scored against New Zealand, to provide the attacking threat against Belgium.

If Belgium or Iran earn at least four points from their next two games they will be guaranteed a place in the round-of-32 as either group winners or runners-up.

Iran are also dealing with unusual logistical challenges at the tournament, having moved their base camp from Arizona to tournament co-hosts Mexico before the start of the finals amid the US-Iran war.

That has forced the squad to travel internationally for each of their three group-stage matches in the US.

They would face the same challenge for the rest of the tournament should they advance and play matches in the US.

Iran lodged a complaint with world football’s governing body FIFA on Friday over travel restrictions facing the team in the United States.

US authorities require the squad to enter the country within 24 hours of a match and leave the same day, prompting Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei to describe Iran as the “most oppressed” team at the tournament.

All kick-off times in PST:
Today’s fixture:
Group ‘F’: Tunisia vs Japan (9:00am)
Group ‘H’: Spain vs Saudi Arabia (9:00pm)

Monday’s fixtures:
Group ‘G’: Belgium vs Iran (12:00 midnight)
Group ‘H’: Uruguay vs Cape Verde (3:00am)
Group ‘G’: New Zealand vs Egypt (6:00am)

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2026