OGAE Serbia :: Vaš evrovizijski svet
The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the capital of Austria! Vienna has been chosen as the host city for this prestigious music competition following a detailed selection process.
This news was officially announced by the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) and the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, after the Austrian representative, JJ, secured victory with the song „Wasted Love“ at the 2025 contest in Basel.
This will be the third time Vienna has hosted Eurovision, having previously done so in 1967 and 2015. This makes it the fourth city to host the most contests, tied with Copenhagen, Malmö, and Stockholm. Only Dublin, London, and Luxembourg City have hosted more.
A spectacular show at the „Wiener Stadthalle“
The host venue for the competition will be the Wiener Stadthalle, the largest indoor arena in Austria. This is the same arena that hosted Eurovision in 2015, when Sweden won with Måns Zelmerlöw’s song „Heroes.“ The arena can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators.
The Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, with the Semi-Finals scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14.
In the bidding process, Vienna beat Innsbruck, which was the only other city remaining in the final stage. Initially, as many as nine cities had expressed interest in hosting the contest, including Graz, Salzburg, and Linz.
Roland Weißmann, ORF Director General, noted that Vienna was chosen because its offer was the most attractive in terms of infrastructure, logistics, and cost-effectiveness. Vienna, a city with nearly 3 million inhabitants, boasts exceptional accommodation capacity (over 80,000 hotel beds) and excellent connectivity to the rest of Europe, which was crucial for hosting thousands of delegations, journalists, and fans from all over the world.
Netta is „right“ again
This news didn’t surprise all the fans. Just a few hours before the official announcement, the winner of Eurovision 2018, Netta, continued her charming tradition. In a short video on Instagram, she stated that her pick for the host city was Innsbruck.
Since 2019, Netta has consistently „gotten it wrong“ when predicting the host cities, which has become a popular meme within the Eurovision community.
Here are her previous „wrong“ predictions:
- 2019: She predicted Jerusalem, but the host was Tel Aviv.
- 2021: She predicted Amsterdam, but the host was Rotterdam.
- 2022: She predicted Rome, but the host was Turin.
- 2023: She predicted Manchester, but the host was Liverpool.
- 2024: She predicted Stockholm, but the host was Malmö.
- 2025: She predicted Geneva, but the host was Basel.
Given that two cities were in the final running—Vienna and Innsbruck—and following Netta’s tradition, everything pointed to Vienna being the host of Eurovision 2026. She didn’t disappoint!
Vienna – the perfect match for Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor, Martin Green, emphasized that Vienna, as one of the world’s most musical cities and located in the heart of Europe, is the perfect choice for the host.
In addition to the contest itself, fans can look forward to an entire week of Eurovision events. Details about the locations of the Eurovision Village, the Euroclub, and other related events will be announced soon. Visitors can anticipate a unique cultural experience, as Vienna is renowned for its rich music scene, museums, art institutions, and unique coffeehouse culture.
Following the official announcement, ticket sales for the nine different shows will begin later this year. Further details about the on-sale date and the list of participating countries will be revealed in due course.
