Portugal will enter the FIFA World Cup 2026 carrying a symbolic tribute to former forward Diogo Jota, with midfielder Vitinha confirming that the squad will wear commemorative wristbands throughout the tournament ahead of their Group K opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The gesture follows an initiative linked to Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who presented the wristbands to the national squad. As reported, the bands include the names of all current Portugal players alongside Jota, who died in a car accident in northwestern Spain with his brother last year.ย The former Liverpool winger appeared 49 times in Portugal shirt and scored 14 goalsย
Meanwhile, Vitinha described how the idea was introduced during a meeting with the Prime Minister and explained that the design allows the players to wear them on the pitch during matches. He added that the decision to use them was left to the squad.
“Basically, the story of the wristband is, when we went to meet with the Prime Minister, he offered us this wristband. They made sure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch. It has all the specifics for us to be able to enter the pitch with it, with the names of all the players plus the special name of Diogo Jota,โ Vitinha told the reporters.ย
โHe let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, how (we use it), during the day or during the match. We received it with a lot of affection, and we chose to use it,โ he added.
We have the talent, all we need is the technical and tactical aspects: Vitinha
Portugal will begin their World Cup campaign on Wednesday, arriving with strong expectations after a consistent run of results in recent years. However, Vitinha emphasised that the team is not approaching the tournament with certainty or overconfidence, despite the quality within the squad.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who is now a two-time UEFA Champions League winner, pointed to the importance of discipline and balance after Portugalโs quarter-final exit at the previous World Cup in Qatar.
“I wouldn’t say we’re the favourites, we have great quality and capacity to advance far in the tournament. We know the right path is to be humble and play the right game. We have the talent, all we need is the technical and tactical aspects (to come together),โ Vitinha said.
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