Selecția Națională 2026 has now concluded with Satoshi winning the right to represent Moldova at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.
Satoshi wins Selecția Națională 2026
This year’s Moldovan entrant was decided by a triad voting system with a mix of televote and jury vote; with the latter split between 15 national jurors and 5 international jurors. Each segment of the vote having third equal weighting. Among the international jurors were Efendi, Paula Seling and Jamala.
Ahead of tonight’s show we had a chance to interview a few of the acts competing:
- Cătălina Solomac: “I want to give everything that I have to the people when I go on stage”
- Curly: “I’m happy to be a part of a Moldovan renaissance”
- Bacho: “Moldova can sound different too – and this is Moldova as well”
- Emforia: “Our music is going beyond borders”
Additionally, our site member Tetiana was on the ground in Chișinău, so be sure to follow us on instagram and TikTok to keep up to date with what’s happening at this year’s national finals.
Who took part in the Selecția Națională 2026 Final?
The 16 acts that participated were:
| Entrant | Entry |
| Adelisha | “Alegria” |
| Artiom Topal | “Money” |
| Bacho | “Tata” |
| Catalina Solomac | “Pink Margarita” |
| Cristy Rouge | “Bliss” |
| Curly | “Respir liber” |
| DAYANA | “Doina” |
| Emphoria | “Tipare” |
| Evghenii Avramov & ALenin Ivan | “Foc la ghete” |
| Ilinca Siviroveanu | “Running Through the Rain” |
| Katy Rain | “Dance & Cry” |
| Maxim Zavidia | “Alo” |
| Pavel Orlov | “Can’t Say Goodbye” |
| Sasha Flowers | “We Fight Til The End” |
| Satoshi | “Viva, Moldova” |
| Valleria | “Vallerian Steel rai di rai di dam” |
Full voting breakdown
The full votes
| Running Order | Entrant | Entry | Votes | Result |
| 1 | Artiom Topal | “Money” | 2 | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Valleria | “Valerian Steel (Rai di ri di dam)” | 0 | 15th |
| 3 | Adelisha | “Alegria” | 0 | 16th |
| 4 | Maxim Zavidia | “Allo” | 5 | 6th |
| 5 | Evgenii Avramov and Ivan Alenin | “Foc la ghete” | 1 | 10th |
| 6 | Cătălina Solomac | “Pink Margarita” | 8 | 3rd |
| 7 | Dayana | “Doina” | 7 | 4th |
| 8 | Satoshi | “Viva, Moldova!” | 12 | 1st |
| 9 | Sasha Flowers | “We Fight till the End” | 3 | 8th |
| 10 | Cristy Rouge | “Bliss” | 0 | 14th |
| 11 | Ilinca Siviroveanu | “Running Through the Rain” | 0 | 13th |
| 12 | Bacho | “Tata” | 6 | 5th |
| 13 | Curly | “Respir liber” | 4 | 7th |
| 14 | Emforia | “Tipare” | 0 | 11th |
| 15 | Katy Rain | “Dance & Cry” | 0 | 12th |
| 16 | Pavel Orlov | “Can’t Say Goodbye” | 10 | 2nd |
Detailed breakdown
| Running Order | Entrant | National Jury | International Jury | Televote Numbers | Televote Points |
| 1 | Artiom Topal | 5 | 2 | 136 | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Valleria | 0 | 1 | 126 | 0 |
| 3 | Adelisha | 0 | 0 | 177 | 0 |
| 4 | Maxim Zavidia | 7 | 3 | 165 | 0 |
| 5 | Evgenii Avramov and Ivan Alenin | 0 | 0 | 593 | 6 |
| 6 | Cătălina Solomac | 8 | 7 | 861 | 10 |
| 7 | Dayana | 1 | 10 | 617 | 7 |
| 8 | Satoshi | 12 | 12 | 13084 | 12 |
| 9 | Sasha Flowers | 6 | 0 | 353 | 2 |
| 10 | Cristy Rouge | 4 | 0 | 145 | 0 |
| 11 | Ilinca Siviroveanu | 0 | 0 | 409 | 4 |
| 12 | Bacho | 3 | 4 | 373 | 3 |
| 13 | Curly | 2 | 6 | 218 | 1 |
| 14 | Emforia | 0 | 0 | 535 | 5 |
| 15 | Katy Rain | 0 | 5 | 174 | 0 |
| 16 | Pavel Orlov | 10 | 8 | 813 | 8 |
Moldova’s Eurovision Journey
Moldova is relatively new to the Eurovision Song Contest, joining in 2005. Their debut entry, Zdob și Zdub, finished in 6th place, which had remained their highest scoring entry up until 2017. They were dethroned by returners Sunstroke Project and the song ‘Hey Mamma’, which finished in 3rd place. At the close of voting, Moldova received 374 points.
After representing Moldova in 2007, Natalia Barbu returned to Eurovision in 2024 with the song “In the Middle”. She received 20 points in the first semifinal, ultimately placing thirteenth and missing out on the grand final.
Are you happy with Satoshi winning? 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!
Source: TRM
Photo Credit: Satoshi
Michelle 
Giwrgos Oiko