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Newly appointed Real Madrid boss José Mourinho has playfully admitted he hopes his players get knocked out of the 2026 World Cup early so they can return for pre-season preparations sooner.
The 63-year-old is back in the Madrid hot seat after a 13-year absence, having been named as the replacement for Álvaro Arbeloa earlier this month.
Mourinho's mission is straightforward. The experienced Portuguese tactician must reignite Madrid after two deeply frustrating trophy-less campaigns. To achieve that, he will oversee a squad overhaul while also trying to address the dressing room tensions that caused significant disruption last season.
It's no small task, yet Mourinho appears eager to dive in—and is keen to begin working with his key players at the earliest opportunity.
In a conversation with Adebayo Akinfenwa on the Beast Mode On podcast, Mourinho offered a refreshingly honest response when asked about his personal wishes for the World Cup.
"You want the truth? I want the Real Madrid players to lose and go on vacation. Because I want the lads back for preseason," he said, flashing a knowing smile.
When Does Real Madrid's Pre-Season Begin?
Mourinho is due to link up with the squad at Valdebebas on July 13 to kick off Real Madrid's pre-season. That date falls just six days before the World Cup final on July 19.
Madrid has 13 first-team players taking part in the tournament—a figure expected to grow with the anticipated arrival of Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries. Only Arda Güler (Türkiye) faces a group-stage exit, while stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Jr and Jude Bellingham are all targeting a deep run in the competition.
Players who advance far into the tournament will understandably be granted additional recovery time before rejoining their Madrid colleagues, leading to a shortened pre-season—something Mourinho, from a purely professional standpoint, would prefer to avoid.
Real Madrid have yet to reveal details of their pre-season itinerary or any planned tour. The new La Liga campaign will, however, kick off on the weekend of August 15, with the fixture list expected to be released at the end of June.
Mourinho Denies Coming Storm
Mourinho has also pushed back against claims that he plans to clash with Madrid's biggest names, stressing instead that his priority is to help the club's elite players stay and reach new heights.
He said: "I read a few things where people were saying: 'José Mourinho is coming here and he's going to cut some of the top players that supposedly they had some problems during the season'. No.
"I want these players! I want the best players. Now I have to find a way to have a team and not to have problems like, eventually, I don't know, I'm just reading, that they had in previous seasons. But the best players are the players that you want.
"If you have problems with not very good players, that is a big problem. The big players are the big players."
Mourinho's first tenure at Madrid between 2010 and 2013 concluded on bitter terms, with reports of serious fallouts between him and several high-profile figures at the club, including Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo.