A year after the tragic car accident that claimed the lives of striker Diogo Jota and his brother, the Selecao has turned its national mourning into an invisible driving force.
From Roberto Martinez to Cristiano Ronaldo, the entire team is united by a promise: to go all the way and win the world title to honour the memory of their eternal teammate.
Ahead of their debut in the 2026 World Cup, Portugal enter the most important tournament in their history with a backdrop of grief that has never truly healed.
Diogo Jota, the iconic Liverpool striker, died on July 3rd, 2025, in a car accident on the A-52 motorway in Spain’s Zamora province, just weeks after lifting the Nations League trophy with the Selecao.
His younger brother, Andre Silva, also a professional footballer, lost his life in the same accident.
Nearly a year later, as Roberto Martínez’s squad prepares to face DR Congo, followed by Uzbekistan and Colombia in Group K, Jota’s memory continues to accompany every gathering and has become a true source of inspiration for a team determined to finally claim the trophy that still eludes Portugal.
"Diogo is our light"
The whole squad had to come to terms with this loss. Roberto Martinez, the Portuguese manager, explained to The Athletic in early June that he had given all his players time to grieve, and had witnessed moments in the dressing room where the internationals spoke at length about the man who is now "the light" of Portugal.
"Diogo is our light," Martinez confided.
"Diogo is our reference point when it comes to the desire to achieve, or the need to do, what was his dream: to win titles for Portugal, as he did by winning the Nations League. He played a huge part in what we built within the dressing room."
Jota "wanted to win the World Cup", recalled the former Belgium manager, "So it becomes a kind of responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the very embodiment of belief in what was possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer at the right moment, in the tough moments of a match.
"The way he found the solution against Denmark in the quarter-finals made all the difference in our Nations League campaign.
"So, for us, he became a real point of reference, and probably an extra source of energy and light in those difficult moments that you go through as a football team, as a national side. We have to draw on his inspiration right to the end, because he is part of us."
The reference to Denmark goes back to the two-legged quarter-final in March 2025: coming off the bench in the second leg in Lisbon, Jota helped spark Portugal’s comeback (a 5-2 win after extra time, qualifying on aggregate), which propelled the Selecao to the Final Four and then to victory over Spain on June 8th in Munich.
Barely a month later, almost to the day, Jota was gone.
Since then, Martinez has never stopped calling on him, both literally and figuratively.
When he announced his 27-man squad for the World Cup, the coach made a point of saying that it was actually '27+1', in reference to his former protege.
"The spirit, the strength, the example of Diogo Jota, that’s the '+1', and it will always be the '+1', he said at a press conference. He is our strength, our joy. (…) Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and very difficult moment, but from the very next day, we all had the responsibility to fight for Diogo’s dream."
A bracelet so he is not forgotten
Beyond words, the tribute to Diogo Jota has taken a tangible form as the World Cup approaches. Based in Miami for their final preparations before flying to Houston, the Selecao received commemorative bracelets, an initiative led by Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.
"The bracelets bear the names of all the squad members, as well as a special mention for Diogo Jota," Vitinha explained to journalists.
"The Prime Minister left it up to the players to decide if and how they wanted to wear it. Everyone chose to wear the bracelet throughout the tournament: both in training and in matches."
The gesture carries special meaning within the squad. Ruben Neves, his teammate and close friend, had already chosen to take Jota’s number 21 for the national team after his death, while Liverpool retired his number 20 shirt as early as 11 July 2025.
The bracelet is now added to a series of symbols that keep Jota at the heart of the group, even on the pitch.
President Seguro’s address
The tribute has also taken on an institutional dimension. On 8th June, during the official farewell dinner at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras before the squad departed for the United States, the President of the Republic, Antonio Jose Seguro, used his speech to recall the memory of the former striker and to rally the group.
"Play for each other, work for each other. Play and work also in memory of our Diogo Jota", declared the Portuguese head of state, before handing a national flag to Ronaldo, who in return gave him a shirt signed by the whole squad.
It was a way for the country’s highest representative to remind everyone that the mourning for Jota goes far beyond the dressing room and is part of a collective memory, just days before the start of the North American adventure.
"Portugal will also play for Diogo Jota"
In interviews with the daily Jornal de Notícias and TV channel TVI, Neves reflected on the mark left by his former teammate.
"Portugal will also play this World Cup for Diogo Jota," he said.
"The players have inherited Jota’s character, some of his strength, his fighting spirit and his determination. We will do everything so that, symbolically, he too wins the title with us."
And it is also Ronaldo, the captain himself, present for his sixth and probably final World Cup at the age of 41, who summed up the collective spirit at a press conference.
"Losing Diogo was an unforgettable and very difficult moment, but from the very next day, it was up to all of us to fight for Diogo’s dream and for the example he always set in our national team," said Ronaldo.
"The spirit, the strength and the example of Diogo Jota are the '+1' and will always be the '+1' of this group."
Just hours before kick-off against DR Congo, this Wednesday at 7pm in Houston, the message within the Portuguese camp is unanimous: Jota will not be on the team sheet, but through his example, his tenacity and his smile, he remains one of the invisible driving forces behind this campaign.
For Martínez, Ronaldo, Neves and all their teammates, finally lifting the trophy that has so far eluded Portugal would be, among other things, a way to keep the promise made to their departed teammate.
Follow Portugal's clash with DR Congo here with Flashscore
FIFA World Cup 2026
The 2026 World Cup will be held from June 11th to July 19th in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The tournament will feature 48 national teams and will be played in 16 modern stadiums.
Match schedule and times | Group tables | England at the World Cup | Scotland at the World Cup | Team rosters at the World Cup | How to watch the World Cup | Predictions and odds | Which teams could be considered dark horses?