The Portuguese boss believes that only nine European teams will make it past the Group Stage, favoring the chances of Asian and African teams.

Jose Mourinho will be working for a Russian TV channel during the World Cup, and before he earns over $2.4M for four days of work as reported previously, he has shared insight on which teams should make it past the Group stage.

The Special One had a few surprises in store, as he named only nine European teams among those that will make it to the final 16 teams in an interview with The Mirror. Furthermore, Mourinho predicts that only four Latin American teams will make the cut, leaving the three remaining spots for two African sides and one team from the Asian Football Confederation.

According to Mourinho, Group A will be won by Uruguay, with Russia claiming second place after a tough clash with Egypt. Group B will be won by Spain, with Portugal claiming the runner up spot. Then, Mourinho shared his first surprise of the evening, as he named Australia as Group C's runner up behind France, leaving Peru and Denmark out.

Group D will also surprise the world, as Argentina will claim the group's first place. The surprise comes with Nigeria, a team that according to Mou will beat Iceland and Croatia. In a similar way, Brazil will claim Group E's top spot, with Switzerland claiming the second ticket ahead of Serbia and Costa Rica.

Group F will see Germany and Mexico claiming the two KO stage spots, while England seems set to top Belgium in Group G. Everything seems to be in order in those groups.

However, the biggest surprise in Mourinho's book comes in Group H, as he sees Senegal claiming the top spot, with Poland as runner up, meaning James Rodriguez and Co. would only play three games in this competition.

So, here's how the Round of 16 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup will look like, according to Mourinho.

  • Uruguay vs Portugal

  • Spain vs Russia

  • France vs Nigeria

  • Argentina vs Australia

  • Brazil vs Mexico

  • Germany vs Switzerland

  • England vs Poland

  • Senegal vs Belgium

Do you agree with the Portuguese boss' predictions?