The City of Innsbruck will apply to host the forthocoming Eurovision Song Contest 2026 next year. The Alpine Austrian city is vying to welcome the Eurovision bandwagon for the first time in the history of our beloved contest.
The City Council of Innsbruck has given the green light for applying to host Eurovision 2026. The Olympia Sport and OSVI have been commissioned to to prepare the official application documents for ORF.
Innsbruck is vying to host the Eurovision Song Contest at the Olympia Halle, the venue can accomodate circa 12,000 spectators.
The Mayor of Innsbruck Johannes Anzengruber is pleased that the first foundation has been laid to position both Innsbruck and Tyrol as potential Eurovision2026 hosts, an event with global appeal.
The Olympiahalle offers perfect conditions – and we as a city and region can implement an ESC with passion and competence.
The City of Innsbruck’s official press release reads:
Innsbruck wants to bring Europe’s largest music festival to Tyrol: On Wednesday, June 11, 2025, the City Council passed a resolution – with the FPÖ voting against – that the city will apply to host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The Olympia Sport- und Veranstaltungszentrum Innsbruck GmbH (OSVI) has been commissioned to prepare the official application documents for the ORF broadcaster. Mayor Johannes Anzengruber, BSc, presented the next steps to the City Council.
“Today we have laid the foundation for positioning Innsbruck and Tyrol as hosts for an event with global appeal. The Olympiahalle offers perfect conditions – and we as a city and region can implement an ESC with heart and competence,” said Mayor Anzengruber after the decision.
The prospects for Innsbruck are more than promising: According to a recent study by the Tyrol Chamber of Commerce (WK), the ESC would generate direct added value of around 58 million euros for Tyrol alone. “Added to this is the enormous international advertising value: Around 170 million people worldwide watched the 2025 Song Contest in Basel. A platform like this for our region is very rare,” emphasizes Anzengruber.
At the same time, the mayor is committed to a responsible budget policy: “This application is not a blank check. Every contribution from the city or its affiliates must be transparent and presentable. We have the know-how and the infrastructure to bring the ESC to Innsbruck – but we are doing so with common sense and common sense.”
Finally, the mayor reminded everyone that the ORF’s tender requires strict confidentiality. “All content of the application is subject to absolute secrecy. This was also acknowledged by the majority of the City Council today,” Anzengruber said.
Austria will have the grand honour of hosting the 2026 Eurovision edition thanks to JJ’s epic victory in Basel last month. Austria and ORF will be organizing the Eurovision Song Contest for the third time.
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will be held on either 16 May or 23 May 2026. Hence the provisional dates for ESC 2026 are either: 12, 14, 16 May or 19, 21 and 23 May 2026.
Austrian cities and municipalities have been invited to submit their respective bids and documents with the deadline set on 4 July 2025.
