Saeid Ezatolahi is the holding midfielder for Iran, and he committed two fouls against New Zealand in Iran’s opening World Cup fixture this year. He has plenty of ground to cover in midfield, and this upcoming matchup against Belgium promises to keep him busy. The 29-year-old plays his football for Shabab Al-Ahli in the UAE top flight, where he averaged 1.72 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season. 

Ezatolahi will have to deal with the likes of De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard which is a notable step up from what he is used to facing, and Iran will be relying on him to keep things tight. 

Belgium went 1-0 down against Egypt, after Emam Ashour fired one in from the edge of the box. Rudi Garcia’s men eventually found the equalising goal in the 66th minute, but a draw in the end was perhaps a fair result. Belgium failed to exert the level of dominance they would have liked, but they will hope to return back to their best against Iran. 

Belgium were on an impressive run of form prior to the World Cup, having won their two June friendlies against Croatia and Tunisia by an aggregate scoreline of 7-0. They are still unbeaten in 14 matches across all competitions, making them decent favourites against an Iran side who are at a massive disadvantage at the 2026 World Cup. 

Kevin De Bruyne accounted for four of Belgium's 15 shots against Egypt in round one, and he was unfortunate not to find the back of the net in the end. One of his efforts forced a save from the goalkeeper, while he also struck the post from a free-kick. The 34-year-old is still a key player for his national side, operating in an advanced midfield spot, and he still has more to five. 

The Napoli man had four shots with three on target against Tunisia in Belgium's final warm-up friendly before the tournament, and he scored six goals across his six matches during the World Cup qualifiers.

Iran were forced to fly back to Mexico immediately after their game against New Zealand, meaning they have a lot of travelling to do prior to this match against Belgium. Iran looked disorganised at the back against New Zealand, and they conceded a total of 14 shots, of which eight hit the target. Belgium are a much stronger side in the final third than New Zealand, which makes goals a target here. 

With that being said, Belgium were far from watertight against Egypt, and Iran still recorded 17 shots of their own in round one. Both sides here are much more comfortable going forward, than they are at defending, so we could get quite an open contest. 

Ramin Rezaeian will have the tough task of trying to contain Doku here, and that looks like a real mismatch on the flank. The 36-year-old played a massive role in Iran securing a point against New Zealand, contributing a goal and an assist in an impressive individual performance, but he will have a much greater responsibility at the back here. 

The fullback was not really tested defensively against New Zealand - he completed all three of his tackles and didn’t register a single foul, but that is likely to change in round two. At domestic level, Rezaeian has picked up two yellows and a red from just nine appearances this season, which shows how rash he can be in his challenges. Doku specifically seems to come into his element against older, less mobile defenders, which bodes well for this selection.

Belgium are not short of experienced campaigners throughout their eleven, but it is 29-year-old Youri Tielemans who wears the captain's armband - a testament to his influence in the national side. Since the start of the Nations League in September 2025, Tielemans is averaging 2.26 shots per 90, and he has landed this selection in nine of his last 12 starts for Belgium. He had an average of 1.16 shots per 90 in the Premier League for Aston Villa this season, which shows how he is trusted more going forward under Rudi Garcia. 67% of Tieleman’s shots in the Premier League this season came from outside the box, which could be useful if Iran sit deep.

Belgium come into this clash as favourites, but they will still have to be wary of Iran on the counter, as they can be dangerous. Mehdi Taremi is the player most capable of punishing Belgium, and he had two shots against New Zealand in round one to land this selection. One of those efforts went narrowly wide, while the other struck the post. 

Taremi scored 12 goals from 34 appearances for Olympiacos this season, averaging an impressive 3.51 shots per 90 across all competitions. The 33-year-old scored six goals across nine matches during Iran's qualifying campaign, registering more shots than any other player, and the veteran will once again be crucial if his side are to get anything from this clash against Belgium. 

In addition to his goals, Taremi had an average of 1.76 fouls drawn per 90 for Olympiacos this season, which shows how difficult he can be to contain. He is adept when it comes to holding the ball up and drawing opposition centre backs out of position, and Brandon Mechele will have his hands full trying to contain him here. 

Mechele is typically the more aggressive of the two central defenders in Belgium's partnership at the back, and he committed two fouls against Egypt in round one. He also completed two tackles, which shows how the volume of duels was impressive. The 33-year-old likes to step out of the backline to try and win the ball back quickly.