Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Vienna: United By Music

Are you all set for the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026? Mark your calendars: two semi-finals on May 12 and 14, 2026, and the Grand Final on May 16, 2026. The competition, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk ( ORF), will take place in the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, following this country's victory in the 2025 edition with the song "Wasted Love," sung by solo singer JJ. Austria previously hosted the event in 1967 and 2015. San Marino has issued a special Eurovision Song Contest stamp. The Austrian postal service (PostAG) has not issued a special 70th edition Eurovision Song Contest stamp, but they have issued a special Cryptostamp. The reason why is explained in this blog.

70th edition in Vienna

Immediately after the Austrian victory at the Eurovision Song Contest, the ORF confirmed that it would co-organize the upcoming edition.

The capital Vienna and the city of Innsbruck vied for the location of the song festival. Ultimately, the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna was chosen .

The Wiener Stadthalle is a sports and concert hall with a capacity of 16.000 spectators. The previous two editions on Austrian soil were also both held in Vienna: in 1967 at the Hofburg and in 2015, also in the Wiener Stadthalle.

 

Formulas

The EBU announced various adjustments to the voting system and rules regarding promotion. This was prompted by concerns from several broadcasters regarding the possibility of coordinated voting campaigns. According to research by Spotlight, the EBU's official news site, the Israeli government had placed advertisements in 2025 to encourage the public to vote for the Israeli entry as often as possible. At that time, viewers could vote for the same country up to a maximum of twenty times. After consultation with the participating broadcasters, the EBU has decided to reduce the number of votes per payment method from twenty to ten. In addition, stricter conditions are being imposed on the promotion of entries, with the aim of limiting disproportionate influence by external parties.

From 2026, professional juries will return to the semi-finals. The juries will be expanded from five to seven members and will have a more diverse profile. In addition to music professionals, music journalists, choreographers, and music teachers will also be admitted. Furthermore, the EBU aims to provide more opportunities for jury members aged 18 to 25.

 

Semi-final lineup

On January 12, 2026, the draw for the semi-finals took place. The show was hosted by Alexandra Wachter and Cesár Sampson. The Big Four (Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom) and host country Austria qualified directly for the final. The remaining countries were divided between the two semi-finals during the draw. Fifteen countries will participate in each semi-final. Ten of them qualify for the final from each semi-final. As in previous years, the participating countries were divided into pots based on their voting behavior in previous editions. Three countries from each pot advanced to the first semi-final; the remaining three went to the second semi-final. During this draw, it was also determined in which semi-final the Big Four and the host country would be allowed to vote. On December 15, 2025, the list of participants was announced. It consisted of 35 countries, the lowest number since 2003. In 2026, 37 countries participated.

 

Controversy regarding Israel

In September 2025, Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain announced that they would only participate if Israel were excluded. The Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS cited, among other reasons, the human suffering of the Palestinian population in the Gaza war . During the Eurovision Song Contest of 2024 and 2025, there was already controversy regarding Israeli participation. On May 9, 2026, the Israeli broadcaster KAN received a formal warning due to promotional videos calling for ten votes for Israel during the Eurovision Song Contest. In the videos, Israeli representative Noam Bettan urged viewers to give all their votes to Israel in the first semi-final.

On December 4, 2025, it was decided that Israel would be allowed to participate, after which the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Iceland effectively decided not to take part. This marks the first time since 2002 that the Netherlands is not participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. Additionally, the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS announced that it would not broadcast the event either, whereas the NPO did manage to secure NOS Events and the NTR.

Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland will not broadcast the event. Slovenia is broadcasting films from Palestine at the same time. Iceland is broadcasting, but from the Icelandic capital. The Netherlands is sending two presenters and a delegation to Vienna, rendering the Dutch boycott of little value. The NOS will broadcast two semi-finals on May 12 and 14, 2026, and the grand final on May 16, 2026.

 

Withdrawn

There are five countries that have withdrawn, all due to Israel's participation in the festival:

Ireland  

It is the first time since 2002 that Ireland is missing from the list of participants. At the time, the country was not allowed to participate due to poor performances in the preceding years. The last time Ireland voluntarily withdrew was in 1983. Ireland has won the Song Contest 7 times, the last time in 1996.

 

Iceland

It is the first time since 2002 that Iceland is missing from the list of participants. At the time, the country was not allowed to participate due to poor performances in the preceding years. Since Iceland's debut in 1986, the country had never voluntarily withdrawn. Iceland has never won.

 

The Netherlands

It is the first time since 2002 that the Netherlands is missing from the list of participants. At the time, the country was not allowed to participate due to poor performances in the preceding years. The last time the Netherlands voluntarily withdrew was in 1991 because the Eurovision Song Contest took place on May 4 that year, the day on which National Remembrance Day is observed in the Netherlands. Ireland has won the Song Contest five times, the last time in 2019 in Israel.

 

Slovenia

It is the first time since 2000 that Slovenia is missing from the list of participants. At the time, the country was not allowed to participate due to poor performances in the preceding years. Since Slovenia's debut in 1993, the country had never voluntarily withdrawn. Slovenia has never won.

 

Spain

This brought an end to a streak of 65 years of uninterrupted participation. Since the Spanish debut in 1961, the country had never failed to participate. Spain won the Song Contest twice, the last time in 1969. Spain was always qualified for the final because they sponsor the song contest with a substantial contribution. That amount will now be discontinued in 2026, resulting in a lower budget in 2026.

 

Recurring

Bulgaria: After a three-year absence, Bulgaria returns to the Eurovision Song Contest.

Moldova: After a one-year absence, Moldova returns to the Eurovision Song Contest. Moldova was initially on the list of participants for 2025, but decided to withdraw, citing economic, administrative, and artistic challenges.

Romania: After a two-year absence, Romania returns to the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

San Marino in 2026

San Marino is participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria. The San Marinese entry is organized by the national broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV). The representative was selected via the national final San Marino Song Contest 2026. The winner was Senhit with the song Superstar.

San Marino debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 and has participated multiple times since then. The country achieved its best result in 2019 with a 19th place in the final. On September 8, 2025, SMRTV confirmed that San Marino would participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.

 

The San Marinese entry was selected via the national final, the San Marino Song Contest 2026. The competition consisted of two semi-finals on March 4 and 5, 2026, and a final on March 6, 2026, held in Dogana. A total of 40 artists participated in the semi-finals, 10 of whom qualified for the final. These were joined by 10 directly qualified artists. The winner was determined by a professional jury. Senhit represents San Marino for the fourth time at the Eurovision Song Contest. She previously participated in 2011 and 2021; her planned participation in 2020 did not take place due to the cancellation of the festival. The song “Superstar” was written by, among others, Anderz Wrethov, Julie Aagaard, and George Alan O'Dowd (Boy George). Boy George is known for the hits ' Do You Really Want to Hurt Me' and ' Karma Chameleon'. Unfortunately, these two songs are no longer in the TOP2000 of 2025.

 

Austria in 2026

Crypto Stamp

The Austrian Post has not issued any official Eurovision Song Contest stamps for the Vienna edition. Due to licensing costs, no agreement could be reached with the event organizers. As an alternative, the Austrian Post has released a special Crypto stamp to mark the musical spring in Vienna under the name “Vienna – City of Music”. Theme: The musical identity of the capital and iconic moments from Austrian pop and music history. Issue date: April 16, 2026.

 

To be continued…

Next time, the differences and similarities between 70 years of Europa stamps and 70 years of the Eurovision Song Contest. Both started in 1956.

 

<strong> More info: </strong>

 

 

70 years United in Music, Eurovision 2026: https://www.eurovision.com/

Eurovision weblog: https://www.songfestivalweblog.nl/

Once again, no stories from all 2026 participants: https://eurostory.nl/

In Trouw of May 9, 2026, an extensive article with the telling title: 'This year, the Song Contest is primarily a source of feuds and sorrow'. The digital version can be read with a free Trouw day pass.

In Het Financieele Dagblad of May 9, 2026, article 'Profile – Linda Lampenius, Finnish violinist calls upon all her talents at the Eurovision Song Contest'. According to bookmakers, she could win. She plays her violin live, whereas that is normally prohibited during the festival.

Vienna Tourism:

https://www.wien.info/de

https://www.wien.info/de/aktuell/eurovision-song-contest

Previous Eurovision Song Festival blogs (2019 t/m 2026):

https://www.postzegelblog.nl/tag/eurovisiesongfestival/