All you need to know ahead of a fascinating Group G showdown at Los Angeles Stadium.
Group G
Monday, 22 June | Los Angeles Stadium
Kick-off time
03:00 (GMT+8)
The match
European giants Belgium and Asian powerhouses Iran will clash at the midway point of Group G at Los Angeles Stadium. The Red Devils could not overcome Egypt in their opening match, drawing 1-1. Iran likewise secured a point in their opener against New Zealand. While neither side can be eliminated or secure qualification for the Round of 32 in this match, both will be searching for their first victory at the tournament.
Belgium possible starting XI
Courtois; Meunier, Ngoy, Theate, Castagne; Onana, Tielemans, De Bruyne; Fernandez-Pardo, Trossard; Lukaku
Iran possible starting XI
Beiranvand; Rezaeian, Nemati, Khalilzadeh, Mohammadi; Mohebi, Ezatolahi, Ghoddos, Yousefi; Alipour, Taremi
What they said…
“We’ve analyzed Iran less thoroughly than usual, because they’re a team that’s hard to track in friendly matches. However, we’ve seen that they had a strong qualifying campaign for the World Cup and we obviously watched them in their first match against New Zealand. We don’t follow Asian teams very closely, but everyone obviously knows [Mehdi] Taremi.” Rudi Garcia, Belgium coach
“This is a period that should really galvanize the Iranian team. We’ve seen that too, for example, when we played Ukraine in the Nations League. There’s a certain motivation, a burst of energy, to make the people and the fans proud. And I can see that. In fact, for us, that’s an added challenge.” Thomas Meunier, Belgium defender
Los Angeles Stadium
Los Angeles Stadium is the newest venue chosen to host FIFA World Cup 2026™, having opened in September 2020. It is situated just a 30-minute drive from Pasadena’s famous Rose Bowl Stadium, which hosted the World Cup final in 1994.
Both the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers play their NFL fixtures at the venue, which also hosted Super Bowl LVI as the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in 2022.
Los Angeles Stadium has already hosted a number of concerts under its iconic and unique roof, with Taylor Swift, BTS and Ed Sheeran among the artists to have graced the venue.