🇵🇹 Portugal: AGRIDOCE Will Not Compete in Eurovision If They Win Festival da Canção 2026

AGRIDOCE is the latest act competing in Festival da Canção 2026 to confirm they will not go to the Eurovision Song Contest should they win.

A total of 13 of the 16 composers and acts competing in Festival da Canção 2026 have now confirmed that they will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest should they win the Portuguese selection. Posting on Instagram, AGRIDOCE stated:

“Over the past few weeks, we held onto hope that circumstances might change and that somehow signs of accountability and justice would emerge.

However, and unfortunately, the reality remains unchanged: Israel continues to act without consequences proportional to the severity of the humanitarian situation we are all witnessing — and with which we feel the world continues to be complicit.

We deeply believe in love for music, but we cannot let this situation go unpunished.

It goes against our values, against what we believe in as artists and as people.

This period of silence was, for us, a time of reflection that we felt was necessary to think clearly and assess all possible ways of expressing our dissatisfaction with the situation. We are three different people and, as such, have different rhythms.

For that reason, we knew from the start that it would only make sense to share a final decision when we were all on the same page — without haste and without pressure.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who respected this time.

With the information we have and a clear conscience, we understand that if our song wins the Festival da Canção and circumstances remain unchanged, we will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest.”

The following acts and songwriters have confirmed that they will not participate, or allow their song to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, should they win the Portuguese selection:

To date, Bandidos do Cante is the only act to publicly confirm they will go to Eurovision should they win the Portuguese selection. André Amaro and Sandrino have not stated a position publicly.

Festival da Canção 2026 will consist of two semi-finals on February 21 and February 28 and a final on March 7.

NAPA represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song “Deslocado”. They finished in 21st place with 50 points.

Image Source: RTP / ESC Portugal | Source: AGRIDOCE / ESC Portugal

Portugal debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1964 represented by António Calvário. The country finished last, scoring nul points. Before 2017, Portugal’s best result was 6th place, which came in 1996 when Lúcia Moniz performed “O meu coração não tem cor” in Oslo. In 2017, Salvador Sobral took home the crystal microphone with his song “Amar pelos dois”, ending a 53-year wait for a Portuguese win. The 2018 contest was held in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon for the first time.

Like this:

Like Loading…