RTP, the Portuguese broadcaster, has opened a registration process to be part of the audience for its national selection for Eurovision 2026.
Applications are open now for people to register to be in the audience for the live shows of Festival da Canção 2026. Festival da Canção 2026 will consist of two semi-finals on February 21 and February 28 and a final on March 7. All three nights will take place for the sixth consecutive year at the Valentim de Carvalho studios in Lisbon. The application link can be found here.
Sixteen songs are in the running to represent Portugal at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. A draw was held in late December to determine the split of composers and competing artists across the two semi-finals. The current line-up for the shows is as follows:
Semi-Final One – February 21
- AGRIDOCE – “Onde quero estar” (Where I want to be)
- André Amaro – “Dá-me a tua mão” (Give me your hand)
- Bateu Matou – “Nos teus olhos” (In your eyes)
- Dinis Mota – “Jurei” (I swore)
- Evaya – “Sprint”
- Marquise – “Chuva” (Rain)
- Mario Marta – “Pertencer” (Belong)
- Nunca Mates o Mandarim – “Fumo” (Smoke)
Semi-Final Two – February 28
- Silvana Peres – “Não tem fim” (There’s no end)
- Bandidos do Cante – “Rosa” (Rose)
- Francisco Fontes – “Copiloto” (Co-pilot)
- Gonçalo Gomes – “Doce ilusão” (Sweet illusion)
- Inês Sousa – “O filme ao contrário” (The movie in reverse)
- Jacaréu & Ana Margarida – “O-pi-ni-ão” (Opinion)
- João Ribeiro – “Canção do querer” (Song of desire)
- Sandrino – “Disposto a tudo” (Willing to do anything)
Vasco Palmeirim will host the first semi-final, while Filomena Cautela will host the second semi-final. Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimarães will report from the Green Room for all three shows. Vasco Palmeirim and Filomena Cautela will also present the Grand Final, marking their eighth consecutive year hosting the final night of Festival da Canção.
NAPA represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song “Deslocado”. They finished in 21st place with 50 points.
Source: RTP
Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 represented by António Calvário. The country finished last, scoring nul points. Before 2017, Portugal’s best result was 6th place, which came in 1996 when Lúcia Moniz performed “O meu coração não tem cor” in Oslo. In 2017, Salvador Sobral took home the crystal microphone with his song “Amar pelos dois”, ending a 53-year wait for a Portuguese win. The 2018 contest was held in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon for the first time.
