Vienna to host Eurovision in 2026

ISTANBUL

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced Wednesday that Austria’s capital Vienna will host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in 2026.

"Austria’s capital Vienna has been selected by Host Broadcaster ORF and the EBU to host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2026," EBU announced in a statement.

The semi-finals will take place from May 12 and 14, with the Grand Final on May 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria's largest indoor arena.

This is the third time Austria has hosted the contest, following 1967 and 2015.

Austrian singer-songwriter JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, won this year’s Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest that took place in Basel on May 17.

Israel's Yuval Raphael got second place in the final, which brought mounting criticism in addition to growing calls on the organizer to ban Israel at Eurovision over its brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023.

ISTANBUL

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced Wednesday that Austria’s capital Vienna will host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in 2026.

"Austria’s capital Vienna has been selected by Host Broadcaster ORF and the EBU to host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2026," EBU announced in a statement.

The semi-finals will take place from May 12 and 14, with the Grand Final on May 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria's largest indoor arena.

This is the third time Austria has hosted the contest, following 1967 and 2015.

Austrian singer-songwriter JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, won this year’s Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest that took place in Basel on May 17.