Festival da Cançao 2026 kicked off tonight in Portugal tonight with its first semi-final. We have the first five FdC 2026 finalists!
The 2026 Portuguese national selection- Festival da Cançao kicked off tonight with its first semi-final in Lisbon with a total of 8 acts battling for5 spots in the Grand Final. The show was hosted by Vasco Palmerim, Catarina Maia and Alexandre Guimaraes and at Valentim de Carvalho Studios at Paço de Arcos.
The following acts have qualified to the Grand Final after a 50/50 special jury- public deliberation:
- Dinis Mota – «Jurei»
- Nunca Mates o Mandarim – «Fumo»
- Evaya – «Sprint»
- André Amaro – «Dá-me A Tua Mão»
- Marquise – «Chuva
FdC 2026
The 2026 Fdc will consist of three shows ( two semi-finals and a grand final) scheduled to be broadcast live on 21,27 February and 07 March.
All three shows will be held at the Valentim de Carvalho Studios at Paço de Arcos. The FdC 2026 hosts will be:
- Vasco Palmeirim (1st semi-final and the Final)
- Filomena Cautela (2nd semi-final and the Final)
- Catarina Maia ( all three shows)
- Alexandre Guimarães (all three shows)
A total of 16 acts will compete in the semi-finals, the top 5 acts from each semi-final will proceed to the Grand Final. A total of 10 acts will battle for the Grand Prix at the Grand Final of FdC 2026.
RTP has used three mechanisms to determine the 16 competing acts:
- 8 acts via an invitation to composers
- 6 acts via a public open song submission window
- 1 act via an invitation extended by NAPA
- 1 act via an Entrance Exam selection
The winner of the competition will be determined via a combined public voting/ jury deliberation.
Portugal in Eurovision
Portugal debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 and has won the competition once, namely in 2017 with Salvador Sobral‘s Amor pelo dois. The country successfully hosted the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
Portugal has competed 56 times in the Eurovision Song Contest.
