WC 2002-2022
Belgium vs Iran
No meeting in this window
—
WC 2026 · HEAD-TO-HEAD · GROUP G MEETING
🇧🇪
Belgium
GROUP GFIFA #97 PL
vs
🇮🇷
Iran
GROUP GFIFA #210 PL
WHAT THIS MATCHUP MEANS
The story before a ball is kicked
Belgium arrive in Group G as the top-fifteen FIFA seed with 7 Premier League players in their squad. Iran share that group as the mid-tier seed with 0 PL regulars.
The two meet directly in the group stage. The result is critical — Group G's order through R32 is decided across just three matchdays, and head-to-head between equally-ranked teams is the second tiebreaker after points.
The pre-match weight of evidence leans Belgium's way narrowly. Below: a six-dimension head-to-head, the Premier League club distribution per squad, and the Onside verdict.
INTERACTIVE · COMBINED DREAM XI
Build the best XI from BOTH squads
Tap any pitch slot to pick from Belgium + Iran. Switch formation any time. Saved on this device.
0 / 11BEL 0·IRN 0
Sources: official 26-man squads via football-data.org · Premier League roster fallback when feed lags. Loading saved picks…
HEAD-TO-HEAD · 6 DIMENSIONS
Belgium vs Iran — where each one wins
Each row scores the two teams 0–100 on a dimension. Longer bar = stronger. The colour-coded chip on the right names the winner of each axis.
FormHow strong they are on paper (FIFA world ranking)
BEL +1292
80
PL footprintHow many Premier League players are in the squad
BEL +3232
0
Host edgeWhether they have home advantage as a host nation
LEVEL0
0
Group seedSeed position in their group of four
BEL +25100
75
ConfedTheir confederation's historical tournament strength
BEL +4292
50
ExperienceA proxy for tournament heritage (rank + confederation)
BEL +3795
58
Belgium
Iran
SQUAD CLUBS · PL PERSPECTIVE
Whose PL players are at the World Cup
If you own any of these clubs' assets in FPL, this matchup matters to your pre-season — tournament minutes here become Saturday minutes in August.
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Where Belgium's 7 PL players come from
For FPL managers: if you own any of these clubs' assets, Belgium's tournament minutes shape your pre-season. Aston Villa leads with 2 players (29%).
Aston Villa2 · 29%
Man Utd1 · 14%
Fulham1 · 14%
Brighton1 · 14%
Man City1 · 14%
Arsenal1 · 14%
SQUAD · PL CLUB BREAKDOWN
Iran
No current Premier League regulars in this 26-man squad. Iran's tournament path won't directly shape FPL 2026/27 ownership decisions, but breakout performers here often become next-season targets.
ONSIDE VERDICT
Edge to Belgium · with confidence
- ·Belgium sit #9 in the FIFA world ranking — 12 places clear of Iran.
- ·Belgium's squad carries 7 Premier League regulars vs Iran's 0 — sharper match-fitness coming into the tournament.
- ·Historical confederation strength leans heavily Belgium's way — every WC since 1934 has been won by a UEFA or CONMEBOL side.
REFERENCE · AXIS BREAKDOWN
| Axis | Belgium | Iran | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form | 92 | 80 | BEL +12 |
| PL footprint | 32 | 0 | BEL +32 |
| Host edge | 0 | 0 | level |
| Group seed | 100 | 75 | BEL +25 |
| Confed | 92 | 50 | BEL +42 |
| Experience | 95 | 58 | BEL +37 |
OTHER COMPARISONS
HEAD-TO-HEAD · MODEL RATINGS
Belgium vs Iran
BELGIUM
IRAN
FORM SCORE
87
69
ATTACK
84
70
DEFENCE
77
61
EXPERIENCE
75
62
SQUAD-STRENGTH BREAKDOWN
Strength by department
BELGIUM
- Attack71
- Midfield66
- Defence61
- GK51
IRAN
- Attack59
- Midfield54
- Defence49
- GK39
PREVIOUS WORLD CUP ENCOUNTERS
No previous WC encounters
These two haven't met at a World Cup in our 2002-2022 window. Qualifier + friendly history will be added as football-data feed warms up.
Source: openfootball/worldcup.json (CC0). World Cup 2002 → 2022 inclusive.
KEY PLAYERS · BOTH SIDES
The match-defining names
BELGIUM
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Belgium.
View full Belgium squad →IRAN
Top-3 by projected xP/90 — these are the players the model rates as match-defining for Iran.
View full Iran squad →WC MATCHDAY BRIEF · ONE LIST, TWO SEASONS
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