The artists taking part in Portugal’s Festival da Canção have been revealed by Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) during a livestream from Lisboa ao Vivo.
The artists taking part in Festival da Canção are….
The artists, song titles and composers for the 2026 edition of the national final can be seen in the tables below.
Semi-Final 1 – February 21
| Artist | Entry | Composer |
| Agridoce | “Onde Quero Estar“ | Agridoce |
| André Amaro | “Dá-me a Tua Mão“ | André Amaro |
| Bateu Matou | “Nos Teus Olhos“ | Bateu Matou |
| Dinis Mota | “Jurei“ | Dinis Mota |
| Mário Marta | “Pertencer“ | Djodje |
| Evaya | “Sprint“ | Evaya |
| Marquise | “Chuva“ | Marquise |
| Nunca Mates o Mandarim | “Fumo“ | Nunca Mates o Mandarim |
Semi-Final 2 – February 28
| Artist | Entry | Composer |
| Bandidos do Cante | “Rosa“ | Bandidos do Cante |
| João Ribeiro | “Canção de Querer“ | Cristina Branco |
| Francisco Fontes | “Copiloto“ | Francisco Fontes |
| Gonçalo Gomes | “Doce Ilusão“ | Gonçalo Gomes |
| Inês Sousa | “Um filme ao contrário“ | Inês Sousa |
| Jacaréu and Ana Margarida | “O-pi-ni-ão“ | Jacaréu |
| Silvana Peres | “Não tem fim“ | Rita Dias |
| Sandrino | “Disposta a tudo“ | Sandrino |
Hosting team also revealed
Prior to the reveal of the songs, RTP also revealed the hosts for each semifinal. Vasco Palmerim and Filomena Cautela will return to host the show’s final together, but will also split responsibilities for the semi-finals. Vasco will host the first semi-final, whilst Filomena will present the second semi-final. They will also be joined by Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimarães, who will also provide hosting duties in the studio and in the green room.
This comes amid a large artistic boycott of the Eurovision aspect of Festival da Canção itself. Over half of the acts competing at this year’s selection have said they will not go to Eurovision due to the ongoing crisis surrounding Israel. RTP, however, has insisted that Portugal will take part in Eurovision 2026 regardless.
What is Festival da Canção?
Festival da Canção is a Portuguese music festival held every year. Artists apply, but they also get invited to take part in the festival by the 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, first due to a boycott, and then in 2000 due to be relegated from the contest.
FdC differs from most national finals by sourcing their competitors by inviting songwriters to compose a song, rather than artists applying directly with a song.
Festival da Canção 2026: What is still to come?
- First Semi-Final (February 21st)
- Second Semi-Final (February 28th)
- Final (March 7th)
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 NAPA with the song “Deslocado”. The band managed to qualify for the Grand Final and once there, they finished in 21st place. They received a total of 50 points, of which 37 points came from the jury and 13 points came the televote.
What do you think of the entries participating in this year’s selection? Do you think Portugal can keep up their qualification streak? As always let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr, Threads and Bluesky as we turn our attention to Eurovision 2026!
News Source: RTP
Photo Credit: RTP
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Euan T