Real Madrid to Start Pre‑season Under Mourinho as World Cup Returns Shape Squad

Real Madrid will begin pre-season with Jose Mourinho back in charge. Which players are available for the opening sessions will depend on when they return from the World Cup.

The club is set to resume its preparations for the new campaign under the management of Jose Mourinho, who has reclaimed responsibility for the team’s pre-season programme. Several first-team members are currently engaged at the World Cup, and their staggered comebacks will influence how and when they can join training. Real Madrid’s coaching and support staff will therefore need to coordinate schedules around the varying return dates of internationals. The timing of players’ reintegration into squad work is a key logistical factor for the early weeks of preparation.

Coaching plans for the initial phase of pre-season will be organised with the absence of certain internationals in mind, meaning that group sessions and conditioning work may proceed with an altered roster. Mourinho will oversee the structure of those sessions once he assumes full control of the pre-season programme. Medical and fitness staff will monitor players returning from tournament duty to determine readiness for club training. The club’s staff must balance workload and recovery for those coming back from extended international commitments.

Player selection for the first friendly fixtures will naturally reflect who has rejoined the squad after the World Cup, with available personnel dictating matchday choices. Mourinho’s management of the early matches will therefore be shaped by the gradual return of players from international duty. Integration of late-returning internationals into tactical drills and friendly appearances will be managed according to individual return timings. The sequencing of training and match minutes will be adjusted to reflect each player’s condition upon arrival back at the club.

Communications between Real Madrid, national team setups and the players themselves will inform the precise dates when individuals are able to report for club duties. The club’s preparation calendar remains contingent on those notifications, with Mourinho and his staff planning around confirmed availability. This approach places the World Cup return schedule at the centre of Real Madrid’s opening pre-season arrangements.

Real Madrid’s pre-season will therefore unfold under Jose Mourinho’s direction, with the squad composition during that period determined by the staggered returns from the World Cup. The club’s early training and initial friendlies will reflect whoever has rejoined the squad and is cleared to participate.