On the evening of 17 January 2026, Moldova’s national music stage lit up as the country chose its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria. After a year’s absence — following a surprising withdrawal from Eurovision 2025 — the country made a celebratory return with a reimagined national final format, bringing Selecția Națională to the grand Arena Chișinău for the first time.
A New Era for Moldova’s Selection
Moldova’s broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) revamped its national selection system this year, focusing on professionalism and competitive quality. Artists submitted original songs between 7 November and 7 December 2025, and from dozens of submissions, 34 acts were invited to perform in closed-door live auditions. From that stage, 16 finalists were chosen for the televised national final.
The move to the Arena Chișinău marked a symbolic upscaling of Moldova’s contest — a signal that the country wants to make a strong return to Europe’s biggest music event.
Tonight’s Show: The Final Line-Up
Hosted by Daniela Crudu and Ion Jalbă, the national final featured songs across genres, highlighting both established artists and fresh voices from Moldova’s vibrant music scene. The running order packed variety and drama, from dance-pop and ballads to more experimental pieces.
16 Finalists – Selecția Națională 2026
Pavel Orlov – “Can’t Say Goodbye”
Artiom Topal – “Money”
Valleria – “Valerian Steel (Rai di ri di dam)”
Adelisha – “Alegria”
Maxim Zavidia – “Alo”
Evghenii Avramov & ALenin Ivan – “Foc la ghete”
Cătălina Solomac – “Pink Margarita”
Dayana – “Doina”
Satoshi – “Viva, Moldova!”
Sasha Flowers – “We Fight Till the End”
Cristy Rouge – “Bliss”
Ilinca Siviroveanu – “Running Through the Rain”
Bacho – “Tata”
Curly – “Respir liber”
Emforia – “Tipare”
Katy Rain – “Dance & Cry”
Winner: Satoshi — “Viva, Moldova!”
After a balanced voting system combining:
- an international expert jury
- a Moldovan professional jury
- public televoting,
the clear winner of Selecția Națională 2026 was Satoshi with the anthemic song “Viva, Moldova!”. The track, written by Vlad Sabajuc, stood out for its energetic performance and its celebratory message about Moldova’s vibrant identity within the European musical family.
This victory marks an exciting new chapter for the artist and gives Moldova a bold entry for Eurovision 2026 — a song built to capture ears and hearts both at home and across the continent.
Selecția Națională full results
| Draw | Artist | Song | Jury | Televote | Total | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intl. | National | Votes | Points | |||||
| 1 | Artiom Topal | “Money” | 2 | 5 | 136 | 0 | 7 | 9 |
| 2 | Valleria | “Valerian Steel” | 1 | 0 | 126 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Adelisha | “Alegria” | 0 | 0 | 177 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 4 | Maxim Zavidia | “Allo” | 3 | 7 | 165 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| 5 | Evgenii Avramov | “Foc la ghete” | 0 | 0 | 593 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 6 | Cătălina Solomac | “Pink Margarita” | 7 | 8 | 861 | 10 | 25 | 3 |
| 7 | Dayana | “Doina” | 10 | 1 | 617 | 7 | 18 | 4 |
| 8 | Satoshi | “Viva, Moldova!” | 12 | 12 | 13,084 | 12 | 36 | 1 |
| 9 | Sasha Flowers | “We Fight till the End” | 0 | 6 | 353 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Cristy Rouge | “Bliss” | 0 | 4 | 145 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
| 11 | Ilinca Siviroveanu | “Running Through the Rain” | 0 | 0 | 409 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 12 | Bacho | “Tata” | 4 | 3 | 373 | 3 | 10 | 5 |
| 13 | Curly | “Respir liber” | 6 | 2 | 218 | 1 | 9 | 7 |
| 14 | Emforia | “Tipare” | 0 | 0 | 535 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 15 | Katy Rain | “Dance & Cry” | 5 | 0 | 174 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
| 16 | Pavel Orlov | “Can’t Say Goodbye” | 8 | 10 | 813 | 8 | 26 | 2 |
Celebration & Legacy
The show wasn’t just a competition — Selecția Națională also honoured Moldova’s Eurovision history. Performances from past Eurovision representatives, including SunStroke Project, Zdob și Zdub, Natalia Barbu, DoReDos, Natalia Gordienko and others, filled the interval with nostalgia and pride.
Moldova’s Eurovision journey — now marking its 20th participation — has delivered memorable moments over the years, from SunStroke Project’s iconic third place in 2017 to today’s fresh new contender.
As the countdown to Eurovision 2026 in Vienna continues, Satoshi with “Viva, Moldova!” will take on the challenge of representing the country on the international stage, aiming to bring Moldova back into the spotlight it has so often lit with creativity and passion.
Watch Selecția Națională 2026
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