Portugal's 2026 World Cup squad will wear commemorative wristbands in tribute to their late teammate Diogo Jota, the team announced on June 13, 2026, ahead of the tournament start next week [1, 2, 3].

The wristbands were a gift from Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. They carry the names of all squad members alongside Jota's, who died last year in a car crash in northwestern Spain along with his brother [1, 2, 3]. Midfielder Vitinha explained, "Basically, the story of the wristband is, when we went to meet with the Prime Minister, he offered us this wristband... It has all the specifics for us to be able to enter the pitch with it, with the name of all the players plus the special name of Diogo Jota." He added the players chose whether to wear the bands during matches or the day [1].

Diogo Jota earned 49 caps and scored 14 goals for Portugal before his death in 2025, marking him as an important figure in the squad's history [1, 2, 3].

Vitinha, who has won back-to-back Champions League titles with Paris Saint-Germain, expressed cautious optimism about Portugal's chances in the tournament. "I wouldn't say we're the favourites, we have great quality and capacity to advance far in the tournament," he said. "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)" [1].

The 2026 World Cup will take place across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, presenting challenges such as differing weather conditions. Vitinha acknowledged the impact, saying, "The weather will affect how we play, but that is for everybody, not just for us... it is very difficult. But it is the World Cup and there are no excuses, no conditions that can keep us from giving everything for the national team" [2].

Winning the World Cup has been a lifelong ambition for Vitinha, who shared, "It's always been a dream, I've not wished to do anything else. To an extent I've always followed what my father did. This is what I always wanted to do, I've always dreamed of this and achieve" [2].

Portugal will open their Group K campaign against DR Congo on June 18, 2026 Singapore time. Their group also includes Uzbekistan and Colombia [3].