Mourinho not bothered about World Cup until the quarter-finals: 'Teams just go there to walk about and lose'

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Martin Macdonald | Author

Legendary manager Jose Mourinho isn't a fan of the size of the 2026 World Cup as he believes there are too many teams simply happy to be involved.

The next edition of the World Cup takes place in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It will be the first to feature 48 nations - an increase of 12 from the previous tournament in Qatar -, and so there is the requirement for an extra knockout stage after the group stage.

Instead of going straight to the last-16, there will now be a last-32 stage that teams must navigate.

Cape Verde, Curacao, Uzbekistan and Jordan are four nations that will be making their World Cup debut, while it is only the second appearance for Panama, Iraq and Haiti.

By increasing the number of teams, it has allowed smaller nations the chance to appear on the biggest stage.

However, for bigger nations, it will allow, in theory, an easier group stage as some will face lower-ranked opponents than in previous editions of the World Cup.

Mourinho believes that, with the amount of teams that need to be eliminated before the business-end of the tournament, the real competition doesn't start until the final eight.

"I'm thinking of taking a vacation until the quarterfinals; there are too many teams, they only go there to lose," the Benfica head coach told Sports Mediaset.

"It's an incredible social phenomenon, but if we're talking about real football, there are teams that just go there for a walk. The party starts from the quarterfinals."

The Portuguese naturally wants to see his home nation win the World Cup, but he believes Brazil have a great chance under the tutelage of another iconic manager, Carlo Ancelotti.

"I'd like Portugal, but Carletto is Carletto," Mourinho explained.

"Brazil can do it with him, a team with Carlo is one thing, and without it is another. Argentina is a real team, united, compact, they enjoy playing for the national team. Then, France, they have three teams that can practically compete. England will get there sooner or later."

Mourinho is currently enjoying an unbeaten domestic season with Benfica, but after drawing too many games in 2025/26, they are on the cusp of losing out on the league title to Porto. With three games remaining, they are seven points adrift of the top of the table.

World Cup Power Rankings

Here, FootballTransfers looks at the five favourites to win the 2026 World Cup.

5. Portugal

Portugal seemed to be qualifying easily for the World Cup until Cristiano Ronaldo’s stray elbow against the Republic of Ireland sparked some late concern. Without the Al-Nassr ace, Roberto Martinez’s side booked their place in the finals with 9-1 win over Armenia.

Ronaldo might have expected to sit out the first two matches at the World Cup due to this red card, but FIFA let him off with a suspended ban, meaning he will be present and correct for the tournament in a big boost to Iberians.

The quality throughout this side, though, is formidable. Arguably, there is not a nation with a collection of midfielders like Portugal, with Vitinha, Joao Neves, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes among the options pushing to get into the team.

Portugal’s best World Cup finish was fourth in 2006. This team will be in the mix to do even better.

4. Argentina

The brilliance of Lionel Messi dragged Argentina to success at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but the legendary superstar will be 39 years old by the time the 2026 World Cup final comes around. It is simply too much to ask for a repeat of the previous tournament and, indeed, the Inter Miami star hasn’t even confirmed he’ll be at the next World Cup yet.

Argentina, of course, have other superstars in their ranks and the likes of Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Nico Paz and Lautaro Martinez are more than capable of taking this team far into the knockout stages.

Having Messi around in some capacity, even if he doesn’t play every game, will boost this squad.

Truth be told, it’s been so long since we saw Argentina without Messi, it’s tough to say what the team will look like without him.

3. England

England head into the 2026 World Cup as one of the firm favourites for victory after back-to-back second-place finishes at the European Championships and a flawless qualifying process.

Thomas Tuchel masterminded eight victories in eight matches without conceding a single goal in World Cup qualifying and given the talent in the Three Lions squad, it would be a huge upset if they are unable to progress into the latter stages of knockouts.

However, their lack of preparation against top nations is a slight concern and there is a lingering feeling that France and Spain may both be better equipped to get over the finishing line.

2. France

Two-time champions France approach the World Cup finals knowing that this will be Didier Deschamps’ last hurrah. The coach has performed wonders over his 14-year spell, building a team where once there had only been individuals.

Deschamps knows how to manage these tournaments. France might not always play the most attractive game, but they are a wily and versatile unit, capable of winning matches in many different ways.

Crucially, there is also star quality throughout the squad, with Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe expected to be the team leader as he seeks to cement his status with a second World Cup, which would give him a strong shot at the Ballon d’Or.

1. Spain

Reigning European champions Spain will be the team to beat at the 2026 World Cup. Ranked first in the world, Luis de la Fuente's men have been a pretty much unstoppable machine since the Euros in Germany.

La Roja enjoyed an almost spotless qualifying phase, with only the final game - a 2-2 draw with Turkey - sullying what was otherwise a perfect run of matches.

With a goal difference of +19 in six matches, Spain showed that they are irresistible when they are in full flow and a clear favourite to not only reach but to win the final at MetLife Stadium in July 2026.

Most of the talk will be about Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Nico Williams, but don't sleep on the unsung heroes in De la Fuente's side: Mikel Merino, Mikel Oyarzabal and Marc Cucurella.

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Martin Macdonald | Author

Martin Macdonald is an experienced digital journalist who has significant expertise in a number of different genres, including his work on FootballTransfers.

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