We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is Festival da Canção 2025, which will take place between the 22nd of February and 8th of March. Festival da Canção will select the Eurovision representative for Portugal in Basel.
Who is taking part in 2025?
There are 12 artists taking part in the second semifinal of Festival da Canção. The 12 artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| A Cantadeira | Responso à Mulher |
| bombazine | Apago tudo |
| Diana Vilarinho | Cotovia |
| Emmy Curl | Rapsódia da Paz |
| Fernando Daniel | Medo |
| Henka | I Wanna Destroy U |
| Inês Marques Lucas | Quantos Queres |
| Luca Agel ft. Pri Azevedo | Quem foi? |
| Napa | Deslocado |
| Tota | á-tê-xis |
Who are our qualifiers from Festival da Canção 2025 Semifinal 1?
We ranked the songs taking part in the first semifinal, using a 1-10 ranking: 1 being our favourite, 10 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings. Right below, you can see our top six for this selection. Ahead of the semifinal, we will be revealing the qualifiers, and will release the full breakdown when the selection finishes.
Our 4th, 5th, and 6th places were: Diana Vilarinho, Napa, and A Cantadeira. Our top three were:
3rd. bombazine – Apago tudo (4.00):
2nd. Emmy Curl – Rapsódia da Paz (3.67):
1st. Inês Marques Lucas – Quantos Queres (3.17):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from Festival da Canção 2025?
Kittens (Emmy): Going to lay my cards on the table, I am not normally anyone who finds much to enjoy in the Portuguese selection. But there’s something so interesting going on here, with so many different elements happening all at once, layered over each other, that is just so stimulating for my brain. The choral elements in particular really trigger that happy part of my brain when I hear it. Feels like something you’d hear in a beach bar at dusk to get you into the evening, with a cool cocktail and hopefully, an invite to the dancefloor!
Daniel (Inês): I’ve been a fan for Inês for a good while now and she did not disappoint in her FdC entry! I really like her voice, it being one of the big things that drew me to her initially, and the liberal usage of metaphors throughout the song as well is one of the things I absolutely love about Portuguese music, and this exemplifies it. RTP, skip the extra steps and just invite Choro as a composer/producer next year.
Angus (bombazine): This song is just one smooth, funky groove that works just as much in a classy bar as it does on the dancefloor or on full volume at home. It fits so many different moods, and it’s memorable on a first listen without overstaying its welcome when you hear it for the 50th time
What is Festival da Canção?
Festival da Canção is a Portuguese music festival held every year. Artists apply, but can also get invited to take part in the festival by broadcaster RTP. Festival Da Canção selects the Portuguese representative for the Eurovision Song Contest. This national final is one of the oldest national finals and has been going for 57 years. The first edition of Festival da Canção was all the way back in 1964! The festival was held in 1970 and 2000 despite the country not taking part in the contest, in 1974 due to a boycott and in 2000 due to relegation.
Portugal’s Eurovision Journey
Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest with António Calvário’s “Oração” in 1964. Since then, Portugal has participated in the competition 55 times – appearing the final 46 times. Their only win in the competition came in 2017 with Salvador Sobral, performing his heart-wrenching song “Amar Pelos Dois”.
Portugal’s most recent participation was with iolanda with the song “Grito”. iolanda managed to qualify for the Grand Final and once there, she finished in 10th place. She received a total of 152 points, of which 139 points came from the jury and 13 points came the televote.
Who would you like to see represent Portugal in Basel? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Portugal at Eurovision 2025!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: RTP