Portuguese broadcaster RTP has officially released the song “Alma”, to be performed by 12-year-old Salvador Rio at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Ta’ Qali.
About “Alma”
The song, whose title translates to “Soul”, is a soulful and intimate ballad with a very dynamic and contemporary chorus that allows Salvador to showcase his tender voice. Fully in Portuguese, it talks about inner strength and how music helps people express their feelings.
Salvador Rio was selected by RTP after winning the seventh season of ‘The Voice Kids Portugal,’ earning him the honour to represent his country at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Malta.
Junior Eurovision 2026 continues to take shape
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is due to take place at 21.00 CEST, on Saturday 24 October, live from the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali. Malta’s broadcaster PBS are hosting the contest for the third time, having done so previously in 2014 and 2016.
The full list of the 16 competing broadcasters is as follows:
- ๐ฆ๐ฑ RTSH (Albania) – Eslin Kurti – “Kรซrce me mua”
- ๐ฆ๐ฒ AMPTV (Armenia) – Narรฉ – “BOO!”
- ๐จ๐พ CyBC (Cyprus) – Harry Georgiou – “Who I Can Be”
- ๐ซ๐ท France Tรฉlรฉvisions (France) – Alec – “Comment Tu Vas ?”
- ๐ฌ๐ช GPB (Georgia) – Davit Lomidze – “Sun on the Rooftops”
- ๐ฎ๐ช TG4 (Ireland)
- ๐ฎ๐น Rai (Italy) – Matteo – “Che cos’รจ l’amore?”
- ๐ฒ๐น PBS (Malta – host) – Beppe Caruana
- ๐ฒ๐ช RTCG (Montenegro) – Mija Mujoviฤ – “Muzika Nas Spaja”
- ๐ณ๐ฑ AVROTROS (Netherlands) – Maria – “Stronger Together”
- ๐ฒ๐ฐ MKRTV (North Macedonia) – Ana Stojanoska – “Idnata jas”
- ๐ต๐ฑ TVP (Poland) – Wiktor Sas – “Gravity”
- ๐ต๐น RTP (Portugal) – Salvador Rio – “Alma”
- ๐ธ๐ฒ SMRTV (San Marino) – Violamarie
- ๐ช๐ธ RTVE (Spain) – Lucas Paulano – “Cuore Bello (Te Quiero, Te Quiero)”
- ๐บ๐ฆ Suspilne (Ukraine)
Portugal’s Junior Eurovision journey
Portugal first took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, with Pedro Madeira singing his song “Deixa-me sentir”. At the close of voting, Portugal finished 14th in a field of 15 participants with a total of 22 points. Portugal participated once more in 2007, before taking a 10 year break and returning to the Contest in 2017.
Portugal was represented by Inรชs Gonรงalves with her song “Para onde vai o amor?” at the 2025 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Tbilisi, Georgia. At the close of voting, she finished in 13th place with a total of 73 points. Of this, 41 points came from the online vote while 32 came from the professional juries.
What do you think of “Alma”? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow โThat Eurovision Siteโ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Junior Eurovision 2026!
News Source: Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Photo Credit: RTP
Fernando Koziel