The hunt for Portugal’s next Eurovision acts kicked off tonight with the first semi final of Festival da Canção; which saw eight hopefuls being narrowed down to four finalists.
First four finalists
The four finalists of tonight’s show were decided by an equally weighted jury and televote. A fifth finalist was also announced in a wildcard round from public vote only.
Ahead of tonight’s show we had a chance to speak to several of the acts competing. You can listen to our interviews by clicking on the link on the respective names.
| Running Order | Entrant | Entry | Result |
| 1 | Dinis Mota | “Jurei” | Qualified |
| 2 | Nunca Mates o Mandarim | “Fumo” | Qualified |
| 3 | Evaya | “Sprint” | Qualified |
| 4 | André Amaro | “Dá-me a tua mão” | Wildcard Qualifier |
| 5 | Bateu Matou | “Nos teus olhos” | Not Qualified |
| 6 | Marquise | “Chuva” | Qualified |
| 7 | Agridoce | “Onde quero estar” | Not Qualified |
| 8 | Mário Marta | “Pertencer” | Not Qualified |
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.
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.
Are you happy with who qualified tonight? 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: RTP
Photo credit: RTP
Tim J 
Samantha