Portugal has confirmed its representative for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Salvador Rio will carry the Portuguese flag in Malta later this year.
The 12-year-old singer earned the ticket to Junior Eurovision after winning the latest season of The Voice Kids Portugal. His victory came less than two weeks after Malta was revealed as the host country for the 2026 contest.
Despite his young age, Salvador has worked as a voice actor, including portraying Peter Pan, and has appeared in television programmes and advertising campaigns. Singing since the age of four, he began formal vocal training in 2025. Now, Salvador will become the 11th act to represent Portugal at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
Salvador Rio's mentor on The Voice Kids Portugal, singer-songwriter Diogo Piçarra, announced that he will write Portugal's entry and work alongside the young singer on the country's participation in Malta.
The 24th Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place on 24 October at the MFCC in Ta’ Qali, Malta. The event marks the competition’s return to the Mediterranean island for the first time since 2016, having previously hosted the contest in both 2014 and 2016. Further details, including the complete list of participating countries and the competing songs, are expected to be announced in the coming months.
Portugal's best result to date came in 2024, when Victoria Nicole finished as runner-up in Madrid with Esperança.
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