Benfica know their 2026/27 start, but Club World Cup brings problems | OneFootball

Benfica have already set the start date for next season. The Eagles return to work on June 25, at a time when several first-team players will still be competing in the 2026 World Cup for their respective national teams.

At this point, Richard Ríos, Amar Dedic, Sidny Cabral, Tomás Araújo, Fredrik Aursnes, Andreas Schjelderup and Dodi Lukebakio are guaranteed to be at the prestigious tournament, while Gianluca Prestianni is still waiting for a possible call-up and Franjo Ivanovic is on Croatia’s standby list. As such, Benfica - who have seen a forgotten player linked with the Champions League - may begin preparations for the new season without some of the squad’s main figures.

According to newspaper O Jogo, the situation creates additional difficulties for the Eagles’ preparations, since the team’s first official match of the season is scheduled for July 23, in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. In addition to the possible absence of the internationals, the Lisbon club is also expected to grant a few extra days of holiday to the players taking part in the World Cup.

For now, Benfica plan to play four warm-up matches during pre-season, although the opponents and dates have not yet been fully confirmed. According to the same source, that decision will depend on the choice of the new manager, at a time when José Mourinho’s future remains uncertain due to Real Madrid’s interest.

As for the Europa League, the Eagles are also starting to learn the identity of some of their possible opponents along the way. Besiktas, Twente, Tromso, St. Gallen and Hammarby are among the potential opponents in the second qualifying round, with other scenarios still depending on the results of the early qualifying ties and the finals of the Israeli and Cypriot Cups.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.