José Mourinho has said he hopes players from his Real Madrid squad are eliminated early from the 2026 World Cup so they can return in time for the club’s pre-season preparations.
According to a report by Daily Post on June 25, 2026, Mourinho made the remark during an appearance on the BeastModeOn podcast while discussing the challenges of managing player schedules around major international tournaments.
Real Madrid have several players participating in the World Cup, including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger and Marc Cucurella.
Mourinho noted that deep World Cup runs could shorten players’ rest periods and limit their availability for pre-season training ahead of the new campaign.
“What am I looking forward to in the World Cup? I want Real Madrid players to lose. Because I want them back for pre-season with me in July!” Mourinho said.
