Portugal : 16 Composers Have Been Announced For “Festival da Canção 2026”

Portuguese broadcaster RTP will organize another edition of the “Festival da Canção“.
Recently, RTP has announced the names of 16 composers whose songs qualified to participate in the festival.
Some of the composers will also be the artists performing the songs, and some of them will select a singer to perform the song.

After closing the submission window, the national broadcaster RTP received 660 songs via the public submission path. 6 of them will be selected to participate in the selection.

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The festival’s composers have been selected via 4 different sections:

• 8 of them received a direct invitation from RTP. Some of them might perform their songs as well, and some will select another performer
• 6 composers were selected from the open submissions
• Last year’s festival winner (NAPA) selected an additional act.
• An additional one was selected via “Prova de Acesso” (Eng: Entrance Exam), where the public got the choice to choose one of 5 music students.

The 16 composers are:

1. AGRIDOCE [open submissions]
2. André Amaro [RTP direct invitation]
3. Bandidos do Cante [RTP direct invitation]
4. Bateu Matou [RTP direct invitation]
5. Cristina Branco [RTP direct invitation
6. Dinis Mota [“Prova de Acesso”]
7. Djodje [RTP direct invitation]
8. EVAYA [RTP direct invitation]
9. Francisco Fontes [open submissions]
10. Gonçalo Gomes [open submissions]
11. Inês Sousa [RTP direct invitation]
12. Jacaréu [open submissions]
13. Marquise [RTP direct invitation]
14. Nunca Mates o Mandarim [Napa’s choice]
15. Rita Dias [open submissions]
16. Sandrino [open submissions]

“Festival da Canção 2026” – Known Details

1. The festival will feature 2 semi-finals and a grand final:
   • Semi-Final 1: Saturday, February 21st, 2026
   • Semi-Final 2: Saturday, February 28th, 2026
   • Final: Saturday, March 7th, 2026
2. The results of each show will be based on a 50% public vote and a 50% jury vote. The voting system will be a fixed points-based (12, 10, 8, 1-6 points)
3. In the semi-finals, 4 acts will be selected based on a 50% public vote and a 50% jury vote. An additional finalist will be selected from among the remaining based on a 100% public vote.
4. For the first time, the public vote will feature online voting.
5. The winner will have the first right to represent the country in Eurovision 2026, but isn’t obligated to.

Napa represented Portugal in Eurovision 2025
They performed “Deslocado” and ended in 21st place in the final

Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026.