Thursday, February 12, 2026 - Jose Mourinho is expected to be offered the job as Portugal manager after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) are set to swoop
for the current Benfica boss when Roberto Martinez's contract expires at the
end of the global tournament.
Mourinho returned to Benfica for a second spell in September
after agreeing a two-year deal with the Liga Portugal giants. However, ESPN
claims that the FPF will likely try to lure the 63-year-old into the top
international post after Martinez departs.
The report also points out that should Mourinho leave
Benfica, recently sacked Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is the most
obvious replacement, given he spent nine years at the club in his playing days
and is still a revered coach in his homeland after a trophy-laden stint at
Sporting CP.
Mourinho expressed his desire to move into international
management in January last year, when he was still in charge at Fenerbahce in
Turkey.
"I want to play a European Championship or a World Cup
and unite a country around a team, as I have already done many times with the
clubs," he said in an interview with Corriere Dello Sport.
"I want to do it for football and what this sport represents. It will be
incredible."
In August, when addressing links to Brazil, he clarified
that he has his eye on the Portugal job first, telling Sporty Net:
"My destiny, in terms of internationals, is to play in a World Cup with
the Portuguese national team. I never considered coaching the Brazilian
national team. My first experience has to be with Portugal, and then people
have to understand that I'm a professional and that I can coach other teams,
but always teams with which I have something that connects me. Brazil,
obviously, because of the historical relationship between our countries,
England because it's my home, Italy, I worked there for several years, but my
first experience with the national team has to be mine."
0 Comments