A goalless scoreline rarely makes headlines, but Iran's 0-0 draw with Belgium at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been ranked among the biggest surprises of the 2026 World Cup so far, and the reason wears gloves. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand made seven saves to deny a Belgian side many had expected to cruise through Group G, and walked away with the Man of the Match award for his trouble.
The result matters beyond bragging rights. Belgium arrived in California as one of the stronger sides in a group that also includes Egypt and New Zealand, and a win would have all but sealed their passage to the knockout rounds. Instead, Iran's point keeps their own campaign alive heading into a decisive final group match against Egypt in Seattle on June 26, a game that will likely determine which of the two sides advances alongside Belgium.
Beiranvand's path to that penalty box in Los Angeles is the more remarkable story. Born into a nomadic Kurdish family of shepherds near Khorramabad in western Iran, he left home as a teenager to chase a career in football with nothing to fall back on. For a stretch, he had nowhere to live and slept outside the gates of a local club just to be close to training. To get by, he worked at a car wash, putting his six-foot-four frame to use scrubbing the roofs of SUVs, and took on jobs in a dressmaking factory, a pizza shop and as a street cleaner. A break finally came in 2011, when he was given a senior debut for Naft Tehran.
That journey from odd jobs to elite goalkeeping is part of what has made his performance resonate well beyond Iran's own fanbase. World Cups are built on these kinds of stories: a player whose route to the tournament's biggest stage ran through homelessness and manual labour, suddenly the difference between his team advancing or going home. For Iran, a side that has often had to fight for respect on the world stage, Beiranvand's save count against Belgium offered both a result and a symbol.
Iran now sit on four points from two matches, having drawn 2-2 with New Zealand before holding Belgium, and know a win or even a draw against Egypt could be enough to push them into the round of 16. Whatever happens in Seattle, Beiranvand has already given the tournament one of its enduring underdog stories.
