Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Bidding phase

Graz

Innsbruck

Wels

Oberwart

Sankt
Pölten

Vienna

Ebreichsdorf

The location of the host city Vienna (in blue), cities and towns that submitted bids (in red) and cities and towns that expressed interest but ultimately did not bid (in grey)

Following Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF)'s win for Austria in 2025, its director, Roland Weißmann [de], emphasised venue suitability and proximity to airports as key criteria in the selection process for the host city for 2026, while ORF's program director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz [de] noted the lack of newly built large arenas in recent years but encouraged municipalities with viable plans to submit bids.^[5]

Several Austrian cities expressed interest in hosting the 2026 contest within days of the 2025 victory. On 18 May 2025, the mayor of Vienna, Michael Ludwig, confirmed the city's intention to bid.^[6] On the same day, Graz stated it was examining a potential bid, with mayor Elke Kahr pointing to Stadthalle Graz as a suitable venue.^[7][8] The Schwarzl Freizeit Zentrum, also in Graz, was proposed as a potential venue by its concert manager and operator, Klaus Leutgeb.^[9] Also on 18 May, Innsbruck and Wels confirmed they would bid with the Olympiahalle and a new exhibition hall, respectively.^[10][11] Oberwart also expressed interest in hosting.^[12] On 19 May, Sankt Pölten's mayor Matthias Stadler [de] proposed VAZ St. Pölten [de] as a possible venue.^[13] On 26 May, Ebreichsdorf presented a proposal to host in a temporary venue.^[14]

ORF launched the bidding process on 2 June 2025, by opening a window for cities and municipalities to declare their interest. Those candidates received the detailed tender documents and had until 4 July to submit their bids. Ebreichsdorf withdrew from the process on 15 June,^[15] followed by Oberwart on 21 June,^[16] Graz on 27 June,^[17] and Wels on 1 July.^[18] Vienna and Innsbruck were the only cities to submit bids by the deadline.^[19][20] On 20 August, the EBU and ORF announced Vienna as the host city.^[2][21]

Key:
 †  Host city  ^  Submitted a bid

Returning artists

The contest is set to feature two returning artists: Estonia's Vanilla Ninja previously represented Switzerland in 2005,^[40] and San Marino's Senhit previously represented the country in 2011 and 2021 (and would have also done so in 2020 before that year's event was cancelled).^[63] In addition, Poland's Alicja was also set to represent the country in 2020;^[70] Aliona Moon, who previously represented Moldova in 2013 and provided backing vocals for Pasha Parfeni in 2012, will also provide backing vocals for Satoshi;^[54] Georgia's Bzikebi previously won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008 for the country;^[71] and Belgium's Essyla previously represented the country in Eurovision Choir 2019 as part of the choir Almakalia.^[72]

Boycotts due to Israeli participation

The Gaza war has brought Israel's participation in the contest into controversy, with calls for the country to be excluded and demonstrations against its participation at the 2024 and 2025 editions.^{[73][74][75][76]} Israel's 2024 entry "Hurricane" was also controversial, as an earlier version titled "October Rain" was seen as referencing the 7 October attacks on Israel, a breach of political neutrality rules, which led to it only being accepted by the EBU after a rewrite.^[77] Israel ultimately finished in fifth place in 2024 and second in 2025, in both cases placing within the top two of the public vote,^[78][79] which was partially attributed to advertising campaigns run by Israeli government officials to boost public votes and encourage support for their country's entries. The existence of such campaigns for the 2024 entry was confirmed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs,^[78][80] and similar campaigns for the 2025 entry were detailed by Eurovision News Spotlight, a fact-checking and open-source intelligence initiative by the EBU.^[81][82] The 2025 set of advertisements, published by the Israel Government Advertising Agency, received over 68 million total impressions.^[83] Several participating broadcasters called for a rework of the televoting system and an independent audit of individual countries' televoting results following the 2025 final.^[84][85]

Wikinews has related news:

• Four countries back out of Eurovision 2026 amid ongoing boycott

Wikinews has related news:

• Iceland pulls out of Eurovision 2026, joining four other countries to do so

Ahead of the 2026 contest, broadcasters from Ireland,^[86] the Netherlands,^[87] Slovenia,^[88] and Spain^[89] announced their intention to boycott if Israel is allowed to compete, while others indicated their intention to participate dependent on certain conditions being fulfilled by the EBU.^[90] The contest's reference group extended its confirmation deadline, before which broadcasters are able to withdraw applications for the 2026 contest without incurring a financial penalty, from 13 October to mid-December to allow for a wide-ranging consultation with broadcasters on Israeli participation, which was set to be determined at the EBU's general assembly on 4 and 5 December.^[91][92] A special general assembly session was planned to be held in early November to discuss and vote on Israel's representation in the contest,^{[90][93][94][95]} but it was cancelled following the implementation of a ceasefire deal and peace plan aimed at ending the war.^[96][97] The 4 December assembly ultimately voted in favour of adopting a series of amendments to the voting system, bypassing a proposed separate vote on Israel's participation and allowing the country to compete.^{[98][99][100]} As a result, broadcasters from the four aforementioned countries announced they will go ahead with their boycott,^{[101][102][103][104]} followed by Iceland on 10 December,^[105] with the Irish, Slovenian and Spanish broadcasters also stating they would not broadcast the contest. This would mark the first time that the event would not be broadcast in Ireland since 1963, in Slovenia since 1985 and in Spain since 1961.^[106] The absence of Spain would also mark the first time that the "Big Five" is incomplete since its expansion with Italy in 2011. The boycott was described by several media outlets as "the biggest crisis in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest".^[c] Protesting the decision to permit Israel, Nemo, who won for Switzerland in 2024, returned their trophy to the EBU.^[111] Charlie McGettigan, who won for Ireland in 1994 alongside Paul Harrington, later stated that he would return their trophy as well.^[112]

The following countries' broadcasters confirmed they would boycott in 2026:

•  Iceland – Although RÚV initially announced that it would select its entry for 2026 through its traditional national final Söngvakeppnin, on 8 September 2025, Stefán Jón Hafstein, chairman of RÚV's board of directors, stated that the broadcaster's participation is "uncertain" and would be dependent on whether Israel is allowed to compete.^[113][114] On 26 November, RÚV's board voted to recommend Israel be excluded,^[115] and on 10 December, six days after the assembly vote, it announced its boycott of the event.^[105]
•  Ireland – On 11 September 2025, RTÉ stated "if the participation of Israel goes ahead" it would not compete, citing the "huge loss of life" as well as targeting of journalists in the Gaza war, and that the broadcaster is waiting until the EBU general assembly in December to make a decision.^[86] On 4 December, following the assembly vote, RTÉ announced its boycott of the event by neither competing in nor broadcasting it.^[101]
•  Netherlands – Despite initially announcing that it would internally select its entry for 2026,^[116] on 12 September 2025, AVROTROS stated: "We can no longer justify Israel's participation with the continued and serious human suffering in Gaza", and cited the Israeli government campaign as interference in the previous edition's outcome.^[87] The broadcaster later stated that it would not change its position for the contest in 2026 even if a ceasefire is reached or the broader Israeli–Palestinian conflict develops otherwise, and would reassess its participation "in subsequent years" dependent on the circumstances at that moment.^[117] On 4 December, following the assembly vote, AVROTROS announced its boycott of the event.^[102]
•  Slovenia – On 4 September 2025, RTVSLO stated that it would decide whether to participate in 2026 after the EBU makes a decision on Israel's future participation and address concerns surrounding the "transparency of the vote" in December.^[118] The broadcaster later stated its "clear position", on 12 September and again on 27 November, that it would not participate if Israel is allowed to compete.^[88][119] On 4 December, following the assembly vote, RTVSLO announced its boycott of the event by neither competing in nor broadcasting it.^[103]
•  Spain – In May 2025, José Pablo López, chairman of RTVE, initially announced that the broadcaster would select its entry through Benidorm Fest, the national final format in use since 2022.^[120] On 9 September, it was reported that a decision on participation would be made in December, following the EBU general assembly, and that Benidorm Fest would be organised regardless of the decision taken.^[121] On 16 September, RTVE's board of directors passed a proposal for the broadcaster not to participate in nor air the contest if Israel participates.^[89][122] On 9 October, RTVE's head of communications María Eizaguirre [es] stated that the broadcaster's position remained unchanged in light of the recently proposed peace plan;^[123] López reaffirmed this in front of the Joint Parliamentary Control Committee of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate on 27 November.^[124] On 4 December, following the assembly vote, RTVE announced its boycott of the event by neither competing in nor broadcasting it.^[104]

Other countries

The EBU member broadcasters in Andorra,^[125][126] Bosnia and Herzegovina,^[127] North Macedonia,^[128] and Slovakia^[129] confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU. Associate member broadcasters in Canada and Kazakhstan expressed interest in debuting in the contest,^{[130][131][132][133]} however, the EBU confirmed that the two would not do so in 2026.^[134]

Voting system

The 2026 contest will see several changes to the voting system. The results of the semi-finals will once again be determined by a combination of jury vote and televote, as they had been from 2010 to 2022.^[d] The size of national juries, however, is increased from five to seven members, with two jurors required to be between the ages of 18 and 25, and the range of eligible professional backgrounds is widened. The maximum number of votes per payment method is reduced from 20 to 10. Voting instructions are updated to "discourage disproportionate promotion campaigns…particularly when undertaken or supported by third parties, including governments or governmental agencies".^[141] The rules were amended in the wake of controversy around Israel's result in the 2025 edition.^[142]

Visual and stage design

The 2026 contest will be represented by a revamped version of the generic logo, designed by the Sheffield-based branding studio Pals, to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest's 70th anniversary. A new design element named the "Chameleon Heart" was also introduced, consisting of 70 layers of the "Eurovision heart" rendered in 3D. It is intended to be adaptable for future host countries' needs.^[143][144] The stage design for the 2026 contest is devised for the third year in a row by German production designer Florian Wieder, who had previously designed the sets of eight previous contests. It is inspired by the "creative spirit of the Viennese Secession" and based on three leitmotifs: "The Leaf", "The Curved Line", and "The Construct", with the green room directly connected to the stage through a walkway.^[136] The green room's design is inspired by Viennese coffee houses.^[145]

Postcards

The "postcards" are short video introductions shown on television while the stage is being prepared for the next entry. Produced by Mödling-based Gebhardt Productions and filming since October 2025, the postcards will feature the competing artists "immersed" in various scenic locations across Austria, with a physical postcard made for each.^[146]

Presenters

Austrian entertainers Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski were announced as the presenters of the 2026 contest on 29 January 2026.^[147]

Semi-final allocation draw

The draw to determine the participating countries' semi-finals took place on 12 January 2026 at 19:00 CET, at the Vienna City Hall.^[148][149] The thirty semi-finalists were divided over five pots, based on historical voting patterns, with the purpose of reducing the chance of "bloc voting" and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. The draw also determined which semi-final each of the five automatic qualifiers – host country Austria and the "Big Four" countries (France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom) – would vote in, be required to broadcast, and perform its entry in a non-competitive capacity.^[150][151] The ceremony was hosted by Alexandra Maritza Wachter [de] and Cesár Sampson,^[152] and was preceded by the passing of a "friendship gift" from Conradin Cramer, the president of the Basel-Stadt government representing the previous host city Basel, to Michael Ludwig, the mayor and governor of Vienna.^[153][154]

Semi-final 1

The first semi-final will take place on 12 May 2026 at 21:00 CEST. Fifteen countries will compete in this semi-final. Those countries plus Germany and Italy, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" online vote, will vote in this semi-final.^[155]

This semi-final will be opened by a 70-member choir performing the 1967 Luxembourgish entry "L'amour est bleu", while the interval act will be "Kangaroo", a musical performance by presenters Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski which highlights how to "distinguish Austria from Australia", with an appearance by Go-Jo, who represented Australia in 2025.^[156][157]

More information Draw, Country ...

First semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026^[155]

Draw	Country	Artist	Song
1st half	Croatia	Lelek	"Andromeda"
	Finland	Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen	"Liekinheitin"
	Georgia	Bzikebi	"On Replay"
	Greece	Akylas	"Ferto"
	Moldova	Satoshi	"Viva, Moldova!"
	Portugal	Bandidos do Cante	"Rosa"
	Sweden	Felicia	"My System"
2nd half	Belgium	Essyla	"Dancing on the Ice"
	Estonia	Vanilla Ninja	"Too Epic to Be True"
	Israel	Noam Bettan	"Michelle"
	Lithuania	Lion Ceccah	"Sólo quiero más"
	Montenegro	Tamara Živković	"Nova zora"
	Poland	Alicja	"Pray"
	San Marino	Senhit[b]	"Superstar"
	Serbia	Lavina	"Kraj mene"

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Semi-final 2

The second semi-final will take place on 14 May 2026 at 21:00 CEST. Fifteen countries will compete in this semi-final.^[26] Those countries plus Austria, France and the United Kingdom, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" online vote, will vote in this semi-final.^[155]

This semi-final will be opened by presenters Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski performing the 2025 winning song "Wasted Love" in a "self-deprecating" manner, while the interval will feature JJ performing a new single.^[156][157]

More information Draw, Country ...

Second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026^[155]

Draw	Country	Artist	Song
1st half	Armenia	Simón	"Paloma rumba"
	Azerbaijan	Jiva	"Just Go"
	Bulgaria	Dara	"Bangaranga"
	Czechia	Daniel Zizka	"Crossroads"
	Luxembourg	Eva Marija	"Mother Nature"
	Romania	Alexandra Căpitănescu	"Choke Me"
	Switzerland	Veronica Fusaro	"Alice"
2nd half	Albania	Alis	"Nân"
	Australia	Delta Goodrem	"Eclipse"
	Cyprus	Antigoni	"Jalla"
	Denmark	Søren Torpegaard Lund	"Før vi går hjem"
	Latvia	Atvara	"Ēnā"
	Malta	Aidan	"Bella"
	Norway	Jonas Lovv	"Ya Ya Ya"
	Ukraine	Leléka	"Ridnym"

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Final

The final will take place on 16 May 2026 at 21:00 CEST and feature 25 competing countries: the host country Austria, the "Big Four", and the ten best-ranked entries of each of the two semi-finals. All 35 participating countries with jury and televote, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated "Rest of the World" online vote, will vote in the final.^[26]

The final will be opened by the flag parade, introducing all twenty-five finalists, accompanied by JJ performing a number titled "The Queen of the Night" with backing by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, dancers, and acrobats. The interval acts will include former Eurovision entrants Lordi (winners for Finland in 2006), Verka Serduchka (Ukraine 2007), Il Volo (Italy 2015), and Erika Vikman (Finland 2025) performing new versions of past competing entries to celebrate the contest's seventieth anniversary, Parov Stelar performing songs from his repertoire, and 2018 Austrian representative Cesár Sampson performing "Vienna".^{[156][157][158]}

More information Draw, Country ...

Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Draw	Country	Artist	Song
TBD	France	Monroe	"Regarde !"
	Germany	Sarah Engels	"Fire"
	Italy	Sal Da Vinci	"Per sempre sì"
	United Kingdom	Look Mum No Computer	"Eins, Zwei, Drei"
	TBD 12 May 2026; 10 best ranked of semi-final 1
	TBD 14 May 2026; 10 best ranked of semi-final 2
25[159]	Austria	Cosmó	"Tanzschein"

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