German coach Jurgen Klopp did not hesitate to directly criticize the level of the 2026 World Cup, while attending the opening match between Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, where he works as a sports analyst for the German “ZDF” channel, and he expressed his observations regarding the performance of the two teams and the details of the match.
The current edition of the World Cup is being held in three countries for the first time, with the participation of 48 teams distributed into 12 groups, with a total of 104 matches.
The Mexican national team opened its campaign with a 2-0 victory, in a match that sparked more controversy than football entertainment, especially with the expulsion of three players, the high intensity of the tackles, and repeated stops.
The newspaper “Marca” quoted Klopp as clear criticism of the performance of both parties, considering that what happened “sums up the course of the match,” noting that the problem was primarily tactical.
He added that the two teams performed at a modest level despite periods of numerical superiority, with continued errors in defensive positioning and playing with great depth, which provided counter-opportunities that were not exploited in the desired manner.
He also pointed out that the South African national team did not succeed in exploiting the available gaps, considering that the confrontation did not rise to the level of major matches.
For his part, Christoph Kramer, who participated in the analysis alongside Klopp, expressed his disappointment with the pace of the match, noting that the enthusiastic atmosphere was supposed to produce more spaces and opportunities, but this did not appear on the field, making the confrontation appear closer to a friendly nature than to a real competitive encounter. (Arabic)
