The 28th artists in our Who Is series for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 are Bandidos do Cante from Portugal.
Bandidos do Cante are a group from Beja in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal. The group consists of Miguel Costa, Duarte Farias, Francisco Raposo, Luís Aleixo and Francisco Pestana. All of the group members are from Beja, except for Francisco Pestana, who is from the nearby town of Portel.
All of five members of the group were raised singing Cante Altentejo, a singing style from the Alentejo region. The group was formed in 2022 under the name Amigos do Alentejo to collaborate on the song “Casa” by D.A.M.A. and Buba Espinho. The song was a success and received heavy airplay across Portuguese radio. During a tour with D.A.M.A. and Buba Espinho, the group was introduced as Bandidos do Cante, a name which the group adopted.
Bandidos do Cante released their first solo single “Amigos coloridos” in 2024. The song became the most listened to song on Portuguese radio at the time, allowing the group to perform more than 50 concerts around Portugal that year.
In 2025, Bandidos do Cante released their second single “Já não há pardais no céu”. The same year, they were nominated for Breakthrough of the Year at the Portuguese Music Play Awards and went on tour throughout Portugal. This year, they released their debut album “Bairro das Flores”.
Bandidos do Cante were selected to represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after winning Festival da Canção 2026. They finished second in the jury vote and first in the public vote.
The song that Bandidos do Cante will perform in Vienna is called “Rosa” (Rose). It was written and composed by Francisco Pereira, Gonçalo Narciso, Gui Alface, José Carlos Coelho Almeida Tavares and all five group members.
Bandidos do Cante will perform in slot 5 in the first semi-final on May 12.
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.
