Iran etched their name into World Cup history and produced a determined defensive display as they battled to a goalless draw against Belgium in Group G of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday (local time).Iran’s starting eleven set a remarkable record, becoming the oldest team to start a World Cup match since 1966 with an average age of 32 years and 181 days. The experienced side used that maturity to good effect, absorbing sustained Belgian pressure and frustrating one of Europe’s top teams throughout the competition. Belgium entered the match looking to secure their first win of the tournament and controlled much of the possession from the start. Maxim De Cuyper produced a first-time long-range strike that tested goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand, but the Iranian stopper was equal to the task.Iran almost stunned Belgium midway through the first half when Mehdi Taremi found the net after a clever free kick routine. The celebrations were cut short, however, as a VAR review ruled the striker narrowly offside.The Belgians continued to push forward and created a number of openings before the interval. Beiranvand is still unbeaten though, producing several important saves to ensure the scores remained level at the break.A major turning point came in the 66th minute when Belgium were reduced to 10 men. Nathan Ngoy received a straight red card after bringing down Taremi, who had slipped after a defensive mistake and was in goal. The sending off was the eighth red card shown at the 2026 World Cup.With a numerical advantage, Iran became increasingly adventurous in attack and introduced new options from the bench in an attempt to find a late winner. Despite applying pressure and creating opportunities in the closing stages, they were unable to make the breakthrough.Belgium’s attacking frustrations continued throughout the match. The European side finished with 23 shots without finding the net, their highest tally in a World Cup match without a score since 1994. According to Opta, Belgium have now attempted 69 shots at the World Cup finals since a Belgian player last scored a goal.The stalemate leaves Group G finely balanced after two rounds of matches. Iran sits at the top of the standings on two points, with Belgium level on points in second place. New Zealand and Egypt are also very much in contention, both having collected one point each.