11.
9:10 p.m
And Lukaku also shows himself early: After two steps, the Sturmtank puts the ball on the strong left, but at the end Kanaani is there and blocks strongly.
8.
9:09 p.m
De Bruyne with the first shot on goal
9.
9:08 p.m
First big chance for leadership! Trossard asserts himself strongly on the left and passes it back to De Bruyne in the penalty area, whose shot is missed by Beiranvand. De Cuyper also finds his match in the Iranian goalkeeper in the follow-up.
8.
9:06 p.m
The Belgians start the game very briskly here. An early ball win from Raskin brings De Bruyne into play on the left wing. The veteran takes a shot from the penalty area, but clearly misses his target.
7.
9:06 p.m
Beiranvand continues after a short break. Goal kick Iran.
5.
9:04 p.m
Lukaku goes to work with his leg stretched out and hits Beiranvand with his studs. Yellow is absolutely fine, even if Lukaku seeks a clarifying conversation with the Argentine referee. The Iranian keeper is currently being cared for by medical staff on the pitch.
3.
9:04 p.m
Yellow card Lukaku
3.
9:04 p.m
Yellow card for Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
3.
9:00 p.m
Belgium starts offensively. An initial De Cuyper corner is initially cleared, then De Bruyne brings one of his feared sharp crosses into the six-yard box. Beiranvand is there – and is fouled by Lukaku. Referee Herrera immediately shows yellow.
9:00 p.m
Let’s go! Will the Belgians live up to their role as favorites? Will you achieve your first victory at this World Cup? We’ll know more soon.
1.
9:00 p.m
Game start
20:58
The referees are introduced as usual and the teams get ready for this very important second preliminary round game. It’s starting here soon!
20:56
Whistles can also be heard today during the Iranian anthem. Some fans display the pre-revolutionary flag.
8:55 p.m
70,000 fans fit into the stadium in Los Angeles. It’s hard to see empty seats. In addition to numerous Iran fans in white, a number of Belgian supporters in red can also be seen in the stands.
20:52
The teams are ready in the players’ tunnel. Shortly we will go to the field to present the flags – and the national anthems will be played.
8:49 p.m
The referee for today’s game is Argentine Dario Herrera. The 41-year-old is making his first appearance at this level after officiating five matches at the U-20 World Cup in 2025.
8:46 p.m
As in the opening game, there are many Iranian fans in the stadium today. Over 100,000 people of Iranian descent live in the greater Los Angeles area, giving rise to the nickname “Tehrangeles.” Even today, the pre-revolutionary flag can often be seen around the stadium, a protest gesture against the regime in Iran.
8:43 p.m
The weather was a big issue before the tournament, but fortunately the climatic conditions have hardly affected what is happening on the pitch so far. Even today there are pleasant temperatures of 22 degrees at lunchtime in Los Angeles. The weather shouldn’t be a deciding factor today.
8:36 p.m
The favorites today are the “Red Devils” from Belgium. While the Belgian team is full of stars from the European Champions League, there are only four players in the Iranian squad who are under contract with European clubs: Mohammad Mohebi plays at FK Rostov in Russia, Alireza Jahanbakhsh at Belgian relegated Dender, superstar Mehdi Taremi at Olympiakos Piraeus and Dennis Eckert Ayensa at Standard Liège.
8:33 p.m
Belgium and Iran meet for the first time in an international match today. Iran has a disastrous record at World Cups against teams from Europe (one win, two draws, seven defeats), but they did win their last duel with a team from Europe, beating Wales 2-0 at the 2022 World Cup.
20:27
Iranian coach Amir Ghalenoei is changing his staff in three positions compared to the 2-2 draw against New Zealand: Ehsan Haji Safi, Saleh Hardani and Hossein Kanaani are new.
8:20 p.m
Jeremy Doku is not there today. Manchester City’s star player has been in the headlines recently because he could miss parts of the tournament due to the impending birth of his first child. An attitude that was certainly criticized in his Belgian homeland. Today, however, Doku is missing due to illness, at least that’s what the Belgian association said.
8:16 p.m
Back to sports – we look at the lineups. Martinez changes his Belgian team in four positions: Romelu Lukaku, Maxim De Cuyper, Nicolas Raskin and Alexis Saelemaekers are new. The most prominent name is certainly Lukaku, who went into the tournament in trouble and came off the bench against the Egyptians, but brought some momentum and decisively pressed own-goal scorer Mohamed Hany when the score was 1-1.
8:10 p.m
There were protests from some fans at the opener against New Zealand, and these are also to be expected today. A court in Los Angeles had basically allowed the world association FIFA to ban the display of Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag in the stadium. The flag shows a motif of a lion with a sword in front of a sun and is considered a symbol of resistance against the regime in Tehran. Nevertheless, the symbol could be seen several times in the stadium.
8:01 p.m
In addition to the great sporting significance of the game, the political dimension is of course also an issue in Los Angeles today. The war with the USA also overshadowed the second game of the Iranians, who complain about severe travel restrictions. As with the opening game, the team was only able to arrive the day before the game and will have to quickly return to the World Cup quarters in Mexico after the game.
19:51
The Belgians disappointed in their opening game against Egypt and only managed a 1-1 draw despite being favorites. At least the defeat was avoided by an Egyptian own goal. And: In the final phase, the Belgians were the better team. Nevertheless, it is clear that coach Roberto Martinez’s team is under pressure against Iran today – they are looking for their first win of the tournament.
7:48 p.m
Two draws, maximum balance so far: In Group G, all four teams have one point after the first matchday. Today Belgium and Iran meet in Los Angeles – and welcome to the live ticker of the sports show!
