Tactical analysis: Belgium - Iran at the World Cup
The goalless draw between Belgium and Iran at the 2026 World Cup reflected tactical mistakes and the impact of red cards in the match.
The Belgian team once again failed to win at the 2026 World Cup, when they only achieved a 0-0 draw against Iran. This match showed many mistakes in the tactics of both teams, especially in the first half. Coach Rudi Garcia made a number of changes to the starting XI after the disappointing loss to Egypt. Maxim de Cuyper replaces Timothy Castagne at left-back. In addition, Jeremy Doku is absent, Amadou Onana is replaced by Nicolas Raskin, and Romelu Lukaku starts as striker.
Despite the change in personnel, Belgium still maintained an overwhelming position. However, both teams entered the field with completely different ideas. The Belgian team sought to attack with pressure and ball control, while Iran defended tightly with a 5-4-1 formation and mainly waited for opportunities to counterattack. Iran uses a lot of long passes, which seems unreasonable when facing Belgium.
Belgium seemed surprised that Iran came out with five defenders. Belgium's attacking players often just point and communicate with each other instead of applying pressure on their opponents. Again and again, Belgium had difficulty finding an effective attack plan, which prevented them from tearing apart Iran's defenses.
The goal could have helped Belgium change the situation, but with tactical mistakes and a red card seriously affecting the match, a draw was inevitable.
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