Vienna has been chosen to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the world’s biggest live televised music event, Austria’s public broadcaster ORF announced on Wednesday. The Austrian capital beat out its competitor, Innsbruck, the capital of western Tyrol province, to stage next year’s contest. This will be the third time Vienna has hosted the event, having previously done so in 1967 and 2015.
The selection of Vienna follows Austrian singer JJ’s victory at the 2025 Eurovision contest in Basel, Switzerland, with his song “Wasted Love.” The 2026 contest will be held at the Wiener Stadthalle, which also hosted the event in 2015. The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, with semi-finals on Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14.
ORF Director General Roland Weissmann stated that Vienna’s bid was “the most attractive not only in terms of infrastructure and logistics, but also economically.” The city’s mayor, Michael Ludwig, welcomed the decision, noting that Vienna’s “enormous” accommodation capacity and “excellent” transport links made it an ideal choice for the event, which is expected to draw thousands of visitors and a global audience of over 160 million viewers.
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