The first five artists have qualified for the final of Festival da Canção 2026, the Portuguese selection for Eurovision 2026.
The first semi-final of Portugal’s national selection took place tonight in RTP at Valentim de Carvalho studios in Lisbon. The show was hosted by Vasco Palmeirim, with Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimarães connected from the Green Room, and it also featured guest performances by Júlio Resende & Paulo Lapa, and by Luca Argel, Nani Medeiros & Karla da Silva.
The voting process was divided into two rounds. In the first round, the votes were split 50% from an expert jury and 50% from viewers at home, resulting in four qualifiers to the final. The fifth qualifier was then determined by 100% televoting in the second round. The jurors that have evaluated the entries of the first semi-final tonight are:
- Diana Vilarinho – Participant in Festival da Canção 2025
- Joana Espadinha – Participant in Festival da Canção 2018 and 2022
- Lena d’Água – Participant in Festival da Canção 2017
- Mário Rui Vieira – Journalist
- Tó Cruz – Represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1995
A total of eight artists took part, with five artists qualifying for the final. The results of the first semi-final are as follows:
| Artist | Song | Result |
| Dinis Mota | “Jurei” | Finalist |
| Nunca Mates o Mandarim | “Fumo” | Finalist |
| Evaya | “Sprint” | Finalist |
| André Amaro | “Dá-me a tua mão” | Finalist |
| Bateu Matou | “Nos teus olhos” | |
| Marquise | “Chuva” | Finalist |
| AGRIDOCE | “Onde quero estar” | |
| Mario Marta | “Pertencer” |
The second semi-final will take place on February 28, with a further eight artists vying for a chance at qualifying for the final.
The Grand Final will take place on March 7, live on RTP1 and RTP Internacional, and will be hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim. The winner will be determined by a combination of regional juries and public voting.
NAPA represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song “Deslocado”. They finished in 21st place with 50 points.
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.
