"Brazil is the only team which is full of good players, which has maintained the same structure for a very, very long time," he told the Lusa news agency Saturday.

"It is almost the same squad but it seems even better because Ronaldinho is four years older, Adriano has appeared, Emerson was injured at the last World Cup, the midfielders seem better," he added.

Brazil will face New Zealand in a World Cup warm-up match on Sunday in Geneva before heading to Germany to defend their title in the June 9-July 9 tournament. They are in Group F with Croatia, Australia and Japan.

Brazil won their fifth world title in 2002 in South Korea and Japan under Luiz Felipe Scolari who now manages the Portuguese national team.

Mourinho said Iran could be a strong obstacle to Portugal in Group D, which also includes Mexico and Angola.

"Due to their traits as a people, I think they are players with a combative, determined character. Even though they don't have a tactical and technical level of a European team, they have enough qualities to complicate things," he said.