The official start of Eurovision week took place today, with the ‘Turquoise Carpet’, the welcome event for the participating delegations. However, during the live broadcast of the turquoise carpet of Eurovision 2025, this Sunday, in Basel, NAPA, representing Portugal with the song ‘Deslocado’, were the only ones among the 37 delegations not to be shown in the live broadcast of the parade.
The broadcast, broadcast on the festival’s official YouTube channel, showed the arrival of all the delegations on the catwalk, but ignored the Portuguese presence. NAPA only appeared moments before the end of the broadcast, in a short interview similar to the one conducted with all the delegations after the parade.
The situation immediately sparked reactions on social media, with internet users saying they had never seen a country “being ignored in this way”. Others suggested that RTP should file a formal complaint with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), questioning why only Portugal was excluded from the most visible segment of the opening event.
The ceremony, which included a parade through the streets of Basel to the Eurovision Village, aims to celebrate diversity and give visibility to all participants.
Despite the organisation’s lapse, RTP released some images of the Madeirans’ experience at Turquoise Carpet, marked by applause, smiles and several interviews.