Most teams at this World Cup will sleep in the city where they play. Iran will not. Under an arrangement brokered with FIFA, Amir Ghalenoei’s players are not staying overnight on US soil, flying back to their base in Mexico after every match. It is the strangest backdrop to any tie in the tournament, and on Sunday it frames a genuine Group G crossroads against a Belgium side that arrived as favourites and left their opener with more questions than answers.
Kickoff is 3:00 PM ET / 8:00 PM in the UK on Sunday, June 21, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (noon local). In the US, Tubi has it free, or watch on Fox. In Britain it is on ITV and the BBC, both free, with streaming on ITVX.
Watching Belgium vs Iran Free
No paid subscription required here. Several official broadcasters have it free.
Belgium fans can watch on RTBF (French) or VRT (Flemish), both free at home. Outside these markets you will usually need a paid service such as beIN Sports or DAZN. As always, the official broadcaster gives you the best picture and none of the risk.
Belgium vs Iran on TV Around the World
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IndiaWhat Time Is Belgium vs Iran in Your City?
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Pick your country and we will do the maths.
Nobody Has Blinked Yet in Group G
All four teams drew on Matchday 1, so the table is a dead heat: a point each, no goal difference between them. Belgium were held by Egypt, Iran shared four goals with New Zealand. Win on Sunday and you are suddenly in charge of the group.
New Zealand
EgyptTop two go through, along with the best third-placed teams across all the groups.
Redemption or Another Early Exit for Belgium?
There is a nagging sense that Belgium’s golden generation has had its day. The names still glitter, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois behind them, but this is a squad that went out in the group stage in Qatar four years ago and has not actually won a World Cup match since. Eleven wins in thirteen, then three without a victory. That is the kind of run that turns a tournament into a referendum on whether the old guard still have it.
The Egypt draw did little to settle the mood. Belgium fell behind to a fine Emam Ashour strike and needed an own goal, prodded in under pressure from Lukaku, to rescue a point. Rudi Garcia will point to his qualifying record, five wins and three draws with 29 goals, as proof the attacking machine still works. He is probably right. But the doubts will not lift until they actually put someone away.
Iran, for their part, will be quietly satisfied with how their opener went. Twice they trailed against New Zealand, twice they came back, through Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi, to take a point most had earmarked as their best chance of one. There is steel in this side, and in Mehdi Taremi, 105 caps and 60 goals to his name, they have a striker good enough to punish a flat Belgian back line on the break.
The shape of the game is easy to picture. Iran will sit deep, stay compact, and back themselves to spring Taremi in behind. Belgium will see most of the ball and have to be patient, which has not always been their strength lately. Six World Cups in, Iran have never reached the knockout stage, and they would love nothing more than to make history at the expense of a wobbling favourite. The quality gap still points one way, but this has the feel of an uncomfortable afternoon for the Red Devils.
How They Might Line Up
Garcia is expected to keep faith with his big names and lean on De Bruyne to unlock a deep block. Ghalenoei sets Iran up to defend in numbers, with Taremi the lone outlet up top and Jahanbakhsh a threat from wide.
BELGIUM · Garcia · 4-2-3-1Courtois · Castagne, Faes, Theate, De Cuyper · Onana, Tielemans · Saelemaekers, De Bruyne (c), Doku · Lukaku
IRAN · Ghalenoei · 4-4-2Beiranvand · Rezaeian, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi · Mohebbi, Ghoddos, Ezatolahi, Yousefi · Moghanloo, Taremi
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A Word on SoFi Stadium
Home to the LA Rams and Chargers, SoFi is about as modern as a stadium gets, all sweeping lines and a vast halo scoreboard hanging over the pitch. It opened in 2020 at a cost north of five billion dollars and will host eight World Cup matches. A neutral, partisan-free crowd in LA may actually suit Iran’s game plan. There is more on it over at Wikipedia.
These two have barely crossed paths. They have never met at a World Cup, and competitive history between them is all but non-existent, which makes Sunday something close to a blank page for both.
Belgium vs Iran: Quick Answers
What time does Belgium vs Iran kick off?
3pm Eastern in the US, which is noon local in Los Angeles and 8pm in the UK. In Brussels it is 9pm and in Tehran 10:30pm. The date is Sunday, June 21, 2026.
Can I watch Belgium vs Iran for free in the US?
Yes. Tubi is streaming it free with no signup. Fox has the English broadcast and Telemundo the Spanish, and it is also on Fubo, Sling, YouTube TV and Peacock.
Is it on free TV in the UK?
Yes, and you have a choice. The game is on both ITV and the BBC, free to air, with streaming via ITVX and BBC iPlayer.
Why is Iran not staying in the United States?
Because of the ongoing tensions between Iran and the host nation, an agreement with FIFA means Iran's squad does not stay overnight on US soil. They are based in Mexico and travel in for their matches.
Who is top of Group G?
Nobody has broken clear. All four teams, Belgium, Iran, New Zealand and Egypt, drew their openers and sit on a single point with identical goal difference.
Has Iran ever reached the World Cup knockout stage?
No. This is Iran's seventh World Cup and they have never got out of the group, so a strong result against Belgium would be a big step toward changing that.
Who are the key players?
Belgium still lean on Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and keeper Thibaut Courtois. Iran's main man is Mehdi Taremi, with 60 goals in 105 caps, supported by Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mohammad Mohebi.
What is the prediction?
We fancy a 2-1 Belgium win. They should have enough quality to edge it, but Iran's resilience and Taremi's threat mean both teams scoring looks likely.
Other World Cup 2026 Match Guides
🇪🇸 Spain vs Saudi Arabia (Jun 21) →
🇳🇱 Netherlands vs Sweden (Jun 20) →
🇩🇪 Germany vs Ivory Coast (Jun 20) →
📅 Full World Cup 2026 Schedule →
📋 All 12 Groups and 48 Teams →
