Belgium
Ladbrokes previews Belgium vs Iran in Group G at the 2026 World Cup, with bet builder tips
Belgium backed to get their first win of the summer, with both teams scoring in a thriller
Saeid Ezatolahi tipped to pick up a card on a difficult afternoon for Iran's midfield

Ladbrokes brings you an in-depth match preview for Belgium vs Iran in Group G at the 2026 World Cup, including odds, predictions, and bet builder tips.
After being held to draws in their opening games, both sides will be desperate to pick up all three points in this one, with a win giving the victor a monumental push towards the round of 32 - but who's going to come out on top in California?
Below, we've put together the ultimate Belgium vs Iran bet builder, with potential starting lineups, our score prediction, and the latest live betting markets - so read on!
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Fixture: Belgium vs Iran
Competition: World Cup group stage (Group G)
Date: Sunday, 21 June, 2026
Kick-off: 20:00 BST
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, California, USA
Our predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Courtois / Meunier, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper / Onana, Tielemans / Trossard, De Bruyne, Doku / Lukaku
Our predicted XI (4-4-2): Beiranvand / Rezaein, Khalilzadeh, Nemati, Mohammadi / Mohebi, Ghoddos, Ezatolahi, Ghayedi / Moghanlou, Taremi
To go along with our predicted scoreline of 3-2 to Belgium, we're backing the Red Devils to score over 2.5 goals in their Group G clash with Iran, bouncing back from their disappointing draw last week and really putting their opponents to the sword in LA.
Rudi Garcia's side have quality to burn in the attacking departments, scoring four or more goals in seven of their last 12 matches, and against an Iran defence who conceded twice to New Zealand in their Group G opener, we're expecting Belgium's firepower to be far too strong. The likes of Romelu Lukaku - who came off the bench to impressive effect last time out - and Jeremy Doku should give the group favourites a real advantage in this one, with the Iranians struggling to contain such a breadth of talent.
So we're tipping Belgium to find their shooting boots here, lighting up the Los Angeles Stadium with over 2.5 goals.
While Belgium's frontline should provide heaps of entertainment, we're also expecting Iran to show plenty of attacking quality themselves, so our experts are tipping both teams to score in this one.
Neither side looked overly convincing defensively in their Group G openers, both conceding 14 shots in games they would've been fancied to dominate, so we expect a number of chances here, with both teams more concerned about hurting the opposition at the other end. You have to go back to late 2025 for the last time either of these nations failed to score in a match, so even with Golden Glove contender Thibaut Courtois standing in their way, we're tipping Iran to find the net and contribute to a thrilling encounter.
So with that being said, Ladbrokes is backing BTTS in Belgium vs Iran, with neither team showing the defensive stability needed to really control the game from start to finish.
Moving over to the cards markets now, and we're highlighting Iran's Saeid Ezatolahi, with the 29-year-old in for an almost impossible afternoon against one of the most balanced midfields at the tournament - so we're tipping him to be shown a card.
Plying his trade in the UAE Pro League, Ezatolahi is coming up against one of the most assured Premier League duos in Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans - not to mention Kevin de Bruyne in front of them - so we don't expect him to see much of the ball, with disrupting Belgium his main priority. He can certainly do that, however, with the centre-mid committing more than two fouls per 90 in domestic football, and having picked up five yellows this season, he's no stranger to the referee's book.
So we're picking Saeid Ezatolahi as the recipient of a card in this one, with his odds at 21/10.
Rounding off our Belgium vs Iran preview and predictions, we're backing Belgium to get their first win of the 2026 World Cup, edging past Iran in one of the tournament's most entertaining matches so far.
We're anticipating goals in LA, but ultimately, the strength in depth that Rudi Garcia has at his disposal should prove too much for the Iranians, with the likes of Charles De Ketelaere, Hans Vanaken, and Alexis Saelemaekers not even making our predicted starting XI. Victory would probably be enough to see Belgium book their spot in the round of 32, with only a game against Group G outsiders New Zealand remaining, so with motivation at its max, we think the Red Devils are nicking the points.
So we're picking a Belgium win as the fourth and final leg of our World Cup bet builder, with the favourites priced at 4/9.
You can bet on each of these markets individually, or combine them to create a Belgium vs Iran Bet Builder. Plus, with Bet Builder+, you can combine your bet not only with other World Cup matches, but also with different sports.
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All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.