Jürgen Klopp Criticizes the 2026 World Cup! He didn't hold back...

Jürgen Klopp, speaking as a television commentator, expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the overall technical standard of the Mexico-South Africa match and questioned the structural discipline of both teams on the field following the final red card.

'Tactically, it was very poor!'

Liverpool’s former manager stated, “This situation actually sums up the entire match. Tactically, this was very poor! Neither team played well at all. You’re playing 11 against 9, and then you launch a counterattack. Why? Because the defensive line was too far back. This was a general problem throughout the entire match. South Africa couldn’t capitalize on it at all."

The criticism didn’t come only from Klopp

Klopp’s harsh assessment resonated widely across broadcast networks, and other analysts also shared the view that the highly anticipated opening match lacked high-level competitiveness. Former German national team player Christoph Kramer expressed his disappointment at the lack of intensity on the field. He said: “You can feel the atmosphere is very tense, and I was expecting that kind of intensity and open play. However, I thought this would lead to real battles on the field, and that didn’t happen. It was great to see them play there, but it felt more like a friendly match.”