Vienna was chosen on Wednesday, August 20, to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, Austria’s public broadcaster announced, with the final set for May 16.
Austria’s JJ (Johannes Pietsch) won this year’s competition, held in Basel in Switzerland, making his home country the 2026 host. Vienna, which hosted Eurovision in 1967 and 2015, beat Innsbruck to stage next year’s contest.
The final of Eurovision’s 70th edition will be held on May 16, 2026, at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena, with semi-finals set for May 12 and 14, Eurovision said.
Just after his win, JJ, in an interview, called for Israel to be excluded from next year’s competition, sparking a storm of criticism in Austria, a staunch supporter of Israel.
JJ, 24, has since sought to defuse the controversy, saying via his record label Warner that he was “sorry if his comments had been misinterpreted.”
Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) has described Eurovision as a “queer, left-wing, woke spectacle” and criticised Vienna for wanting to stage it despite the high costs.
