ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, has confirmed that it will be holding a televised national final for Eurovision 2026.
ORF will hold a national final at the end February in order to determine the 2026 Austrian Eurovision act and entry. Circa10 acts are set to compete at the 2026 Austrian national final and win the golden ticket for ESC 2026. Austria will be reverting to a national final after 10 years. The last time the country selected its Eurovision act and entry were determined via a national final was back in 2016 when Zoe was won the golden ticket to Stockholm.
The 2026 Austrian Eurovision entry will be determined via a combined professional jury/ public deliberation.
ORF will be inviting artists, bands and singers to apply for partaking in the national final. Hereafter an expert ORF jury will internally select circa 10 acts for the televised national final. More details will be disclosed in due course.
Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz (ORF Program Director) told Austrian news portal Kurier in an interview:
After a long hiatus, there will be a national selection show again. A big TV evening with lots of audience participation.
Austria at Eurovision
Austria debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957 and has competed 57 times in the competition. The country has won the contest thrice (1966, 2014, 2025) and hosted the event twice in Vienna ( 1967, 2015). Austria will be hosting Eurovision 2026 next year either in Vienna or Innsbruck.
In 2025 JJ won the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel with his epic entry ‘ Wasted Love’.
