Portugal has chosen its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The Grand Final of Festival da Canção 2026, the country’s traditional national contest, took place on 7 March at the Valentim de Carvalho studios in Paço de Arcos, Lisbon, and was broadcast live on RTP.
The show was hosted by Filomena Cautela and Vasco Palmeirim, with Alexandre Guimarães and Catarina Maia reporting from the Green Room.
Line-up of the Grand Final
A total of 10 acts competed in the final after qualifying from two semi-finals held on 21 February and 28 February.
The finalists were:
- Bandidos do Cante – “Rosa”
- João Ribeiro – “Canção do Querer”
- André Amaro – “Dá-me a Tua Mão”
- Gonçalo Gomes – “Doce Ilusão”
- Marquise – “Chuva”
- EVAYA – “Sprint”
- Sandrino – “Disposto a Tudo”
- Nunca Mates o Mandarim – “Fumo”
- Silvana Peres – “Não Tem Fim”
- Dinis Mota – “Jurei”
The winner was determined by a 50/50 combination of public televoting and the votes of seven regional juriesrepresenting different regions of Portugal.
Festival da Canção Final Results
| R/O | Artist | Song | Jury | Public vote | Total | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Points | Percentage | Points | |||||
| 1 | Bandidos do Cante | “Rosa” | 56 | 10 | TBD | 12 | 22 | 1 |
| 2 | João Ribeiro | “Canção do querer” | 65 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 4 | |
| 3 | André Amaro | “Dá-me a tua mão” | 21 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 7 | |
| 4 | Gonçalo Gomes | “Doce ilusão” | 34 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | |
| 5 | Marquise | “Chuva” | 33 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |
| 6 | Evaya | “Sprint” | 31 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| 7 | Sandrino | “Disposto a tudo” | 40 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 5 | |
| 8 | Nunca Mates o Mandarim | “Fumo” | 51 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 3 | |
| 9 | Silvana Peres | “Não tem fim” | 35 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | |
| 10 | Dinis Mota | “Jurei” | 40 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 2 | |
Bandidos do Cante win the ticket to Eurovision
At the end of the voting, Bandidos do Cante won the competition with their song “Rosa”, finishing second with the juries and first in the public vote, giving them the overall victory.
The group from Beja blends traditional cante alentejano vocal style with modern pop elements, bringing a contemporary interpretation of a UNESCO-recognized Portuguese musical tradition.
Eurovision participation confirmed
In the weeks leading up to the final, the Portuguese selection was surrounded by discussion after several artists indicated that they might decline the opportunity to represent Portugal at Eurovision if they won.
Following their victory, however, Bandidos do Cante confirmed that they will accept the invitation and represent Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with “Rosa”.
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