Belgium arrived for Belgium Vs Iran in Los Angeles with a changed line-up and no margin for error. Rudi García made four changes to his starting eleven, bringing in De Cuyper, Raskin, Saelemaekers and Lukaku as Belgium tried to turn a cautious opening into something sharper against an Iran side that had also drawn first time out.
The match mattered immediately because Group G had been flattened by the opening round: every team had one point before kick-off. That meant Belgium’s line-up was not just a selection call, but a direct bet on pace, control and finishing power in a group where a single result could shift the order at the top or leave it unchanged.
García’s team sheet showed Courtois behind Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele and De Cuyper, with Raskin, De Bruyne, Tielemans, Saelemaekers, Lukaku and Trossard across the rest of the side. Iran answered with Beiranvand, Rezaeian, Khalilazadeh, Nemati, Kanani, Hardani, Ghoddos, Mohebbi, Ezatolahi, Hajsafi and Taremi. The two line-ups underlined how little separation there was between them on paper, even before a ball was kicked.
That is the part that makes the selection choices interesting. Belgium went into a level group and still changed nearly half the outfield side, which suggests García wanted a different rhythm rather than a simple adjustment. What the match would settle was bigger than the team sheets: whether Belgium could use those changes to move off the pack, or whether the group would stay compressed with the same one-point logic after another meeting in Los Angeles.
For now, the most important fact is that Belgium Vs Iran started as a test of nerve as much as quality. In a group where everyone had already taken a point, the result would not just add to the table — it would shape the next step for both teams in Mundial 2026.
