The semi-final of MESC 2026 took place tonight, with 18 songs vying for the 12 places within the final, which will be aired on 17 January 2026.
MESC Semi-final results
These are the 18 artists who will make it to the final and will get a chance to represent Malta in Vienna for Eurovision 2026. The final will consist of 12 artists.
| Order | Artist | Entry | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aidan | “Bella” | Qualified |
| 2 | Ema | “Achikuku (Don’t Think About It)” | Qualified |
| 3 | Chess Galea | “Shout it Out” | Eliminated |
| 4 | Liston | “Mela” | Eliminated |
| 5 | Franklin Calleja | “Guide You Home” | Qualified |
| 6 | Kelsy Attard | “Perfectly Broken” | Eliminated |
| 7 | Matthew Cilia and the AfterParty | “Brutality Mentality” | Qualified |
| 8 | Mark Anthony Bartolo | “Mumenti sbieħ” | Qualified |
| 9 | Denise | “Trophy” | Qualified |
| 10 | Kurt Anthony | “On the Borderline” | Eliminated |
| 11 | Rhiannon Micallef | “Hold Myself Up” | Eliminated |
| 12 | Stefan Galea | “Pose” | Eliminated |
| 13 | Matt Blxck | “Ejja lejja ħdejja ‘l hawn (The Flute)” | Qualified |
| 14 | Adria Twins | “Nerġa’ nqum” | Qualified |
| 15 | Kelsie Borg | “Let a Girl Breathe” | Qualified |
| 16 | Mychael Bartolo Chircop | “My Sweet Angel” | Qualified |
| 17 | Janice Mangion | “Univers” | Qualified |
| 18 | Nathan Psaila | “Ganador” | Qualified |
The voting will be a split between public and jury votes; however, the details of the split for the 2025 MESC have yet to be revealed. However, for 2025, it was a 50-50 split between public and jury votes. The public vote is only open to the Maltese public, similar to the 2025 edition. The 12 qualifiers will take part in the final on 17 January 2026.
Malta’s Eurovision journey
Malta made its Eurovision debut in 1971, with Joe Grech performing “Marija I-Maltija” (Maria the Maltese Lass), finishing 18th with 52 points. Malta did not participate in Eurovision from 1975 until 1991, when they returned with the song “Could It Be” by Paul Giordimaina and Georgina, finishing 12th with 32 points. Since then, Malta has been at every Eurovision and finished in the top 10 an impressive 12 times. Their best result is second place, which they’ve achieved twice. The first time was in 2002, when Ira Losco sang “7th Wonder,” and the second time in 2005 with Chiara’s “Angel.”
Miriana Conte represented Malta in 2025 with her song “Serving”, previously known as “Kant”. Competing in the second semi-final, Malta qualified – ending their three-year long non-qualification streak. Miriana would eventually finish in 17th place, earning a total of 91 points. Of these, 83 came from the juries, while just 8 came from televoters.
Did your favourite song make it? Are you looking forward to the Mesc final? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: PBS
Photo Credit: TVM
Tim J 
Rory Gannon