Latest News About Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Here’s the latest publicly reported progress on Eurovision Song Contest 2026:

• Event basics and timeline

  • Eurovision 2026 is scheduled to take place in Vienna, Austria, with two semi-finals on May 12 and 14, 2026, and the grand final on May 16, 2026. This aligns with Vienna hosting duties after Austria’s win in 2025.[4]
  • The contest is organized by the EBU and ORF, with Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski as presenters and Emily Busvine as the green room host.[4]

• Participating countries and selections

  • Several countries have confirmed participation and ongoing national selections or artist announcements for their 2026 entries. Notable examples include:
    • Germany: National final planned for late February 2026, organized by ARD and SWR, with no Raab/RTL collaboration in 2026.[1]
    • Greece: ERT reviving a multi-show national final (Ethnikós Telikós 2026) with semifinals and a final; voting includes televote, Greek jury, and international jury.[1]
    • Albania: FiK 64 underway in Tirana; winner heads to Vienna after the EBU debt renegotiation resolved a prior funding dispute.[1]
    • Spain: Benidorm Fest 2026 expected with a large number of submissions and a shortlist process for semi-finals; Spain’s participation confirmed after earlier uncertainty.[1]
  • Other countries have publicly announced dates or formats for 2026 national selections or internal processes, including entries from Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, and several Southern and Southeastern European nations (as summarized in recent Eurovision coverage).[1]

• Notable developments and considerations

  • The Eurovision 2026 edition is commemorating its 70th edition, triggering discussions about format tweaks, voting, and organizational logistics to ensure integrity and audience engagement across the expanded host and participating lineup.[4]
  • There has been active reporting on national finals schedules, entry submissions, and host city logistics as broadcasters prepare for Vienna 2026; multiple outlets have published recurring “what’s new” updates through late 2025 and early 2026.[2][3][6]

• A quick snapshot of the field

  • The official final lineup and all participating countries are subject to last-minute changes, as is common in the run-up to Eurovision. As of now, several countries have publicly confirmed participation and are advancing their national processes, with more to be announced by their respective broadcasters.[4][1]

If you want, I can:

• Call out specific countries and summarize their current selection format and timeline.
• Compile a country-by-country table with latest confirmed dates for national finals and entry reveal timelines.
• Pull the most recent official or broadcaster announcements to verify any recent changes and provide citations.