The 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in Vienna, with the Grand Final scheduled for Saturday, 16 May 2026 at the iconic Wiener Stadthalle, and semi-finals on Tuesday, 12 May and Thursday, 14 May.
Several Austrian cities expressed interest in hosting the event. Vienna and Innsbruck were the two cities advancing to final negotiations. Vienna was confirmed on August 20, 2025.
Budget
Hosting Eurovision is a significant financial undertaking. ORF estimates that organising the 2026 contest could cost over €30 million, a substantial increase from the approximately €700,000 required to broadcast the event. This comes amid a €325 million cost-cutting initiative for the broadcaster, and additional financial commitments, including coverage of the men’s football World Cup and the Winter Olympics in 2026.
Tickets
An early ‘timeline’ Instagram video posted by ORF (and shortly thereafter deleted) indicated plans to begin ticket sales for the Wiener Stadthalle before Christmas 2025. Please check our ticket page for the most up-to-date information.
Confirmed Participants
As a rule, broadcasters have to let the EBU know by October if they will take part. This year the deadline has been extended until after a General Assembly meeting in December. There is growing pressure to exclude Israeli broadcaster Kan from the next Contest.
As of mid-September 2025, the following countries have issued statements around participation (NB: Israel has stated it intends to take part):
| No specific statement from broadcaster | Will withdraw if Israel participates | Widely rumoured to be 'unhappy' with Israel taking part | There regardless | Awaiting December EBU meeting to agree position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Ireland | Iceland | Austria (obvs) | Austria |
| Azerbaijan | Netherlands | Australia | Belgium | |
| Cyprus | Slovenia | France | Croatia | |
| Estonia | Spain | Denmark | Finland | |
| Czechia | Malta | Germany | ||
| Latvia | San Marino | Greece | ||
| Lithuania | Italy | |||
| Montenegro | Luxembourg | |||
| Norway | Portugal | |||
| Serbia | Switzerland | |||
| Sweden | United Kingdom | |||
| Ukraine |
Positions change constantly and these are best guesses based on any public statements made by people speaking for (or appearing to speak for) the broadcasters – not the national governments.
Broadcasters from countries not listed above have yet to make any formal statement about taking part or otherwise.