Members of the Portugal national football team will wear custom-made commemorative wristbands throughout the 2026 World Cup to honour their late former teammate, Diogo Jota. The tribute serves as a poignant reminder of the forward, who tragically lost his life alongside his brother, André Silva, in a car accident in Spain on 3 July 2025.
Official Origin And Design Of The Tribute
The wristbands were presented to the squad by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro before the team departed for the tournament. Speaking at a press conference on 13 June 2026, midfielder Vitinha confirmed that the accessory was a gift from the head of state, purposefully designed to meet strict FIFA on-pitch equipment regulations.
“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,” Vitinha said.
Community And Team Sentiment
The decision to wear the wristbands was left to the discretion of individual players, reflecting the personal nature of the tribute. Vitinha noted that the squad received the items with deep affection and collectively chose to incorporate them into their match-day attire.
“He 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,” Vitinha added.
This gesture follows national coach Roberto Martínez’s symbolic inclusion of Jota as a “plus one” in the official squad list announced on 19 May 2026. The team is expected to wear these symbols of remembrance starting with their opening match of the competition against DR Congo on 17 June 2026.