Miami (Florida) [US], June 14 (ANI): Portugal will pay tribute to former forward Diogo Jota during their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign by wearing special commemorative wristbands, midfielder Vitinha said ahead of their Group K opener against the Democratic Republic of Congo next week.

According to Reuters, the wristbands, presented to the squad by Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, feature the names of all current players along with that of Jota, who died alongside his brother in a car accident in northwestern Spain last year.

Jota, who earned 49 caps and scored 14 goals for Portugal, remains a cherished figure within the national team, and his teammates have chosen to carry his memory onto the pitch during the tournament.

'Basically, the story of the wristband is, when we went to meet with the Prime Minister, he offered us this wristband,' Vitinha told reporters, according to Reuters.

'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 added.

Vitinha further added, '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.'

Portugal begin their World Cup campaign on Wednesday and arrive at the tournament with high expectations after a strong run of form in recent years.

However, Vitinha insisted the squad is approaching the competition with caution despite its wealth of talent.

The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who has won consecutive UEFA Champions League titles with the French club, said humility would be key if Portugal are to make a deep run in the tournament after their quarter-final exit in Qatar four years ago.

'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),' he added, according to the report.

Vitinha also acknowledged the unique challenges posed by a World Cup being staged across three countries, citing travel demands and varying weather conditions as factors teams will have to manage throughout the competition. (ANI)