Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
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Georgia is set to be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "On Replay", written by Giga Kukhianidze and Liza Japaridze, and performed by the group Bzikebi. The Georgian participating broadcaster, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), internally selected its entry for the contest.
Georgia- Artist: 14 January 2026
- Song: 11 March 2026
| Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) | |||
| Country | Georgia | |||
| Selection process | Internal selection | |||
| Announcement date |
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| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "On Replay" | |||
| Artist | Bzikebi | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Participation chronology | ||||
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Background
Prior to the 2026 contest, the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest seventeen times since its first entry in 2007.[1] Its highest placing in the contest, to this point, has been ninth place, which was achieved on two occasions: in 2010 with the song "Shine" performed by Sofia Nizharadze, and in 2011 with the song "One More Day" performed by Eldrine. GPB briefly withdrew from the contest in 2009 after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) rejected its entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In", for perceived political references to Vladimir Putin who was the Russian Prime Minister at the time. The withdrawal and fallout was tied to tense relations between Georgia and then host country Russia, which stemmed from the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.[2][3][4] Georgia has, to this point, qualified to the final on eight occasions. In 2025, the song "Freedom" performed by Mariam Shengelia failed to qualify for the grand final, placing 15th out of all 16 participating countries in the semi final with 28 points.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, GPB organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. GPB was announced as one of the participants for Eurovision 2026 on 15 December 2025.[5] The broadcaster has selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest both through national finals and internal selections in the past. In 2025, GPB opted to internally select its entry, a method which was continued for its 2026 participation.[6]
Before Eurovision
Internal selection
On 14 January 2026, GPB announced that it had internally selected Bzikebi, who had previously won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008, to represent Georgia at the 2026 contest.[7] They were reported to have recorded their song around 27 February—1 March 2026, with producer Giga Kukhianidze.[8] The entry, titled "On Replay", was released on 11 March; it was composed by Kukhianidze with lyrics by Lizi Pop, who represented Georgia in Junior Eurovision 2014.[9]
At Eurovision
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final will progress to the final. On 12 January 2026, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country will perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[10] Georgia was scheduled for the first half of the first semi-final.[11]