Portugal has yet to confirm its Eurovision 2026 participation. With major changes in its national selection, the option of withdrawing from the contest remains open
The winner of Portugal’s national selection show, Festival da Canção 2026, will not be required to represent Portugal in Eurovision 2026, according to a report on ESC Discord. The country has not yet confirmed its Eurovision participation and is apparently waiting for a decision on Israel expected in December.
Meanwhile, preparations for the national selection are already underway. A teaser published in early September revealed changes to the method of choosing Portugal’s act for the competition. According to the report, the public will play a decisive role this time: starting tomorrow (Wednesday), an online voting round will open, in which viewers will be asked to select one of the national finalists. Online voting will also continue in the semi-finals and final, though it remains unclear how much weight it will carry compared to the jury.
Spain Pushes Ahead Despite Uncertainty
Spain also announced this week that it will hold Benidorm Fest, its usual Eurovision pre-selection festival, even if the country decides to withdraw from the 2026 competition.
Countries Confirming Participation
So far, 27 countries have confirmed their participation in Eurovision 2026: Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the host country, Austria.
The remaining countries have not yet announced their participation, with some indicating they are waiting until December for the expected decision regarding Israel.
“Deslocado” (translated as: “Displaced”) is the song that will be performed by NAPA band, representing Portugal in Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Portugal finished 21st with 50 points, ranked 19th in jury vote and 21st in public vote.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Portugal’s 56th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Portugal joined the competition in 1964 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2017 when singer Salvador Sobral won first place with the song “Amar pelos dois.”
