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7:1 at the World Cup? This is a problem for Jose Mourinho (63). Real Madrid’s new coach starts group stage VM 2026 so far we haven’t been able to do much.
In an interview with former English cult professional Adebayo Akinfenwa (44) on the Beast Mode On podcast, Mourinho spoke openly about his impressions of the tournament. When asked if any teams or players particularly impressed him in the preliminary round, he answered clearly: “I have to be honest and say that in some games I switched off after ten minutes.”
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Mourinho criticized the group stage
The Portuguese is particularly concerned about the apparent differences in performance. In his opinion, the World Cup should offer the highest level of sport.
Mourinho: “I know it means a lot for every country. The world breathes football. But the social side is only part of it. The other part is the purely sporting part. 7:1 or even 5:1 should not be possible. This is the World Cup.”
The 7-1 scoreline likely marks Germany’s first win over Curacao. DFB Team kicked off the tournament with this resounding victory, reminding many fans of the historic 7-1 win against Brazil in the 2014 World Cup semi-finals. This was followed by a dramatic 2-1 win against Ivory Coast before Germany suffered their first defeat at the hands of Ecuador (1-2).
Mourinho sees these results as a sign that the group stage does not always live up to his sporting standards.
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Starting with the elimination round, he takes a closer look at himself.
But “The Special One” didn’t write the tournament off completely. He expects the level to improve significantly once the playoffs begin. Portuguese: “I’ll really start looking at the knockout round. Brazil versus Morocco was a good game, but other than that I had a good dinner and a good night’s sleep.”
Until he fell asleep until late at night: “I will, but not now.” The World Cup remains important to Mourinho. The tournament will feature numerous players whom he will coach at Real Madrid in the future. The Portuguese returned to the Royal Family about two weeks ago and signed a contract until 2029.
Mourinho already coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 and won the league, cup and Super Cup. Now he is watching the World Cup primarily with an eye on his new team, although, apparently, not yet with full enthusiasm.