After the sudden demise of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota last year in a tragic car accident, the whole world was in shock. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal have made a decision to honor the player as they start their FIFA World Cup 2026 against DR Congo on June 17.

The Portugal players, including Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, have decided to wear wristbands as a mark of respect to keep Jota's memory alive. FIFA has given a green signal, and the players will be able to wear the bands by maintaining the guidelines about the kit and equipment.

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How Portugal is Paying Tribute?

Along with the Green and Red colours of their National team, the wristbands that Portugal players will wear will have Diogo Jota’s name. These bands are a special gift from Portugal's prime minister, Luis Montenegro, who came to greet the entire squad before their departure to the US.

"Basically, the story of the wristband is that when we went to meet with the Prime Minister, he offered us this wristband," PSG Midfielder Vitinha told reporters.

"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. He let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, how we used it, during the day or during the match. We received it with a lot of affection, and we chose to use it," he added.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez also opened up on the legacy Diogo Jota carries in the Portugal squad. The former Belgium manager said, "Diogo is our reference of wanting to do or needing to do what his dream was, which was winning titles for Portugal, like he did winning the Nations League. He was a big part of what we built in the dressing room.

"He wanted to win the World Cup s,o it became a bit of a responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the pure example of believing in whatever could be possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer in the right moment in the difficult moment in the game."

Portugal’s Schedule for FIFA World Cup 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and co will surely look to make headlines and qualify for the knockouts in the 23rd edition of this mega event. Here’s a look at the matches Portugal will play in Group K.

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Portugal’s Squad for World Cup 2026

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP) 

Defenders: Rúben Dias (Manchester City), João Cancelo (FC Barcelona), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe SK), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Renato Veiga (Villarreal CF), Tomás Araújo (SL Benfica)

Midfielders: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain), João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Samú Costa (RCD Mallorca)

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), João Félix (Al Nassr), Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain), Pedro Neto (Chelsea), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP), Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad)