The Portuguese Football Federation is planning to bring in José Mourinho to coach the Portuguese national team after the 2026 World Cup.
Current coach Roberto Martínez’s contract with Portugal runs until the end of the World Cup, and the prevailing opinion within the country is to bring in Mourinho afterward to prepare for the upcoming European Championship and World Cup.
Mourinho is currently under contract with Benfica until the end of the season with an option to extend for another year. It is highly unlikely that the Portuguese giants will exercise this option, especially since the team is expected to finish the season without any titles.
Everyone knows that Mourinho will one day coach Portugal, and the Portuguese Federation strongly believes that this is the right moment, particularly as it will coincide with Cristiano Ronaldo’s expected retirement from international football. Consequently, there is a need to fill the void that Ronaldo will leave at the Estádio do Dragão.
This news comes at a time when Real Madrid are showing strong interest in signing Mourinho as their permanent manager. However, it’s likely that “The Special One” would prefer the Portuguese national team job to avoid repeating past mistakes.
Mourinho was close to managing his country three years ago when Fernando Santos left, but he ultimately rejected the offer to stay with Roma. He was then sacked a few months later, expressing deep regret for missing out on this valuable opportunity.
It’s worth noting that Benfica will face Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 play-off round. The Portuguese club currently sits third in the league standings with 49 points, seven points behind leaders Porto.
