Mystery unveiled. Vienna will host the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in May 2026. This was announced on Wednesday by the Austrian broadcaster ORF and the European Broadcasting Union, who have chosen the Austrian capital as the best venue to organize the world's largest music event for such a special occasion as celebrating 70 years.
Following JJ's victory, with his superb performance of Wasted Love, last spring in Basel, the Central European country began the process to select the next host city for the contest. Ultimately, two cities were in contention: Innsbruck and Vienna. The imperial city, where the Festival has already been held twice before - in 1967 and in 2015 - has emerged as the winner. "Vienna's reputation as one of the most musical cities in the world and its location in the heart of Europe make it the perfect host for the 70th edition of the festival," stated Martin Green, Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor. "The exceptional Stadthalle venue in the city was a great stage for the 2015 60th edition, and we look forward to welcoming delegations, artists, and fans again next May, when the world's largest live music event celebrates 70 glorious years," he added.
The Eurovision grand final will take place on May 16, 2026, with two preceding semifinals on Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14 of the same week.
The surprises that the EBU is preparing to celebrate this milestone Eurovision birthday in style are still unknown. However, this week the new main logo has been revealed, which has been simplified compared to the one that has been in use for the past decade. The new version aims to refine the iconic hand-drawn script introduced in 2004 and perfected in 2014.
Almost all countries that have participated in recent editions of Eurovision have already confirmed their participation in 2026, despite the controversies surrounding the last edition, marked by Israel's participation in such a delicate context as its offensive in Gaza and an ongoing genocide as denounced by numerous international organizations and investigated by the International Criminal Court.
For now, Israel has not confirmed its participation next year, although it seems likely that its public broadcaster, KAN, intends to do so. It is expected that this will once again greatly complicate the celebration of the 70th edition.
What is known is that Moroccanoil, the Israeli cosmetics brand, will continue as the official sponsor of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, as exclusively reported by the specialized portal Escplus. It was expected that Eurovision would change its official sponsor after the conclusion of the five-year contract that was announced with this company, but apparently a controversial agreement has been renewed without further details being disclosed.