Moldova: Artists For Selecția Națională 2026 Have Been Revealed!

The Moldovan national broadcaster TRM revealed today the participants of “Selecția Națională 2026”, through which Moldova’s entry for Eurovision 2026, to be held in Vienna, Austria, will be chosen.

After a one-year hitaus, TRM is bringing back Selecția Națională in a fresh, modern format to choose the song that will represent the country at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Today (Thursday), TRM revealed the full list of participants in “Selecția Națională 2026”, which includes quite a few returning contestants. A total of 34 artists will compete in the auditions for a chance to qualify for the selection’s final.

How will Moldova’s entry for Eurovision be chosen?

Finalists will be chosen based on song quality, stage presence, and international potential.
A combined vote will determine the winner: one-third local jury, one-third international jury, and one-third televoting, following the Eurovision scoring format (1-8, 10, 12 points). In case of a tie, the public vote will prevail. If a tie remains, TRM will make the final decision.

For the first time, “Selecția Națională 2026” will be co-managed by two official producers — Serghei Orlov, a seasoned Eurovision producer, and Roman Burlaca, a renowned Moldovan director known for his collaborations with top pop artists. Together, they aim to give Selecția Națională a new visual identity, combining cutting-edge production technology with bold artistic creativity – a move intended to restore Moldova’s prominence on the European music stage.

The full long-list of Selecția Națională 2026:

1. Adelisha – “Alegria”
2. Adelina – “Putere în durere”
3. Adrian Sîrbu – “Ne-am stins”
4. Sasha Flowers – “Can do more”
5. Sasha Flowers – “We fight till the end”
6. Alexei Legasi – “Rebel”
7. Annet Smirnova – “Sunt femeia”
8. Artiom Topal – “Money”
9. Catalina Solomac – “Pink Margarita”
10. Chris Cross & Radco – “Taci”
11. Cristy Rouge – “Bliss”
12. Dana Marchitan – “Cry”
13. DAYANA – “Doina”
14. Bacho – “Tata”
15. Lisa Volk – “Dragostea Mea”
16. Emforia – “Tipare”
17. Evghenii Avramov & ALenin Ivan – “Foc la ghete”
18. Ilinca Siviroveanu – “Running through the rain”
19. Curly – “Respir liber”
20. Iulia Teleuca – “Luna Mea”
21. Katy Rain – “Dance & Cry”
22. Moniq Monua – “Like I do”
23. August Black – “You make me crazy”
24. Maxim Zavidia – “Alo”
25. Nadejda Rotaru – “Winter story”
26. Nikko – “Falling in love”
27. Pavel Orlov – “Can’t say goodbye”
28. Rodica Jabinschi – “Dependentă”
29. Oliv Sky – “Bad dream”
30. Sasha Bognibov – “On the right path”
31. Satoshi – “Viva, Moldova”
32. L-ERA – “Friends”
33. Valleria – “Valerian Steel rai di ri di dam”
34. Zeleno – “No pain no gain”

Some familiar names among the contestants:

• Bacho – Competed last year with Carnival Brain and their song “Semafoare“. Their song was the fan favorite, but unfortunately, the selection was canceled.
• Maxim Zavidia – Participated 3 times: In 2016, finished 5th with the song “La La Love“. In 2019, got 2nd place with the song “I Will Not Surrender” and in 2020, finished 3rd with “Take Control“.
• Iulia Teleuca – Competed in 2024 and finished 3rd with her song “Runaway“.
• Catalina Solomac – Participated in 2024 with the song “Fever” and got 5th place. Catalina returned in 2025 with the song “Demons“, she qualified for the final, but the selection was cancelled.
• Cristy Rouge – Competed in 2009 with the song “Women’s Winner” and got 6th place. Cristy returned the year after with the song “Don’t Break My Heart” but this time she didn’t make it to the final.
• Dana Marchitan – Participated in the selection 4 times in a row from 2008 to 2011. Her best result was 8th place in 2008 with the song “Your Name“.
• Curly – Participated in 2014 with the song “Your Recovery“, qualified for the final, and got 9th place.
• Katy Rain – Participated in 2022 with the song “Lele“, the full results were not revealed. She returned in 2025 with the song “Timpul“, qualified for the final, but the selection was cancelled.
• Sasha Bognibov – Competed in the selection several times. In his last participation in 2025, he finally succeeded in qualifying for the final with the song “All-Night Party“, but the selection was cancelled and Moldova withdrew from Eurovision 2025.
• Valleria – Participated in 2024 with her song “RULE (rai di ri di)” – this song was loved by the fans, but she didn’t make it to the final. She returned in 2025 with the song “A Picture Of Myself“. However, she got kicked out of the selection cause she was late for the auditions.
• Chris Cross – Participated in 2025 with the song “Eu Vin“, didn’t qualify for the grand final.
• Lisa Volk – Competed in 2023 and 2025. She failed to qualify with both tries.
• Oliv Sky – Participated in 2024 with the song “Another Universe” but didn’t qualify for the final.
• Annet Smirnova – Competed in 2022 with the song “Toxic Eyes” and failed to make it to the final.

Moldova at Eurovision: Distinct Identity and Style

Moldova has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 19 times without achieving a victory, missing only one contest. In 2020, it planned to compete with Natalia Gordienko and her song “Prison”, but the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Gordienko returned the following year.

Moldova’s absence from the most recent contest marked the first time the country had ever skipped the event. Its debut came in 2005 with Zdob Si Zdub’s “Boonika bate doba” (in English: “Grandma beats the drum”), finishing in sixth place. Since then, Moldova’s results have fluctuated widely. Its best-ever result came in 2017 when Sunstroke Project placed third with “Hey Mamma”.

Moldova is known for showcasing songs that feature local musical flavours, proudly doing so in 2005, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2022, and 2023, achieving a place in the final each time – many of its best results were tied to songs with ethnic influences.

Aside from missing the top prize, Moldova has experienced nearly every position on the scoreboard – from third to last place. In 19 appearances since 2005, Moldova has qualified for 13 finals, with one notable non-qualification streak between 2014 and 2016, reaching its lowest result in 2014 with a last-place finish. Conversely, the country placed in the top half of the scoreboard in 2005, 2007, 2011–2013, 2017–2018, and 2021–2022. Currently, Moldova’s Eurovision outlook remains pretty underwhelming since its last participation ended its recent qualification streak.

Moldova has never won Eurovision and has reached the Top 5 only once, in 2017. with four additional Top 10 finishes – 6th place in Eurovision 2005, 7th place in Eurovision 2022, and twice finishing 10th, in Eurovision 2007 and Eurovision 2018.