A bit less than 190,000 Portuguese viewers tuned into the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 last evening.
The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was watched by around 188,000 viewers on RTP1. The broadcast recorded a 7.3% audience share and a rating of 1.9 percentage points. On Tuesday night, 747,000 Portuguese viewers watched Semi-Final One, during which Bandidos do Cante competed for a place in the Grand Final.
It is important to note that the second semi-final was not broadcast live by RTP, continuing a long-standing practice by the Portuguese broadcaster. Instead, the show aired on RTP1 and RTP Mundo at 23:30 CET (22:30 local Lisbon time), approximately 15 minutes after the semi-final has concluded in Vienna. Nuno Galopim and José Carlos Malato provided commentary to the show.
Bandidos do Cante represented Portugal at Eurovision 2026 with the song “Rosa” and failed to qualify for the Grand Final. This is Portugal’s first non-qualification since 2019.
Source: ESC Portugal
Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest+
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.