YLE, the Finnish national broadcaster, has received 491 songs for UMK 2026. Tickets for UMK 2026 are set to go on sale on Thursday 2nd October.
The 2026 Finnish national final is scheduled to be held on February 28 at the Nokia Arena in Tampere. Finland. The competing acts and entries will be unveiled in Janauary 2026. A total of 7 acts will be competing at UMK 2026.
Preparations are in full swing in Finland for UMK 2026. YLE has received a record 491 entries for UMK 2026. Tickets for the main show and dress rehearsal are scheduled to go on sale on Thursday 2nd October via this link.
The UMK 2026 competing acts will be unveiled via a live TV broadcast on Wednesday 14 January 2026, and the songs with their music videos will be released one per weekday from 15–23 January.
The selection of artists and songs for UMK was, as last year, carried out by several juries. The most influential was a jury of music professionals, chaired by Yle Music’s Managing Editor Tapio Hakanen. In addition to the professional jury, five public juries were involved in the selection process, consisting of a diverse group of representatives from various fields. The jury reform introduced last year was a success and has continued this year.
From a large pool, seven UMK contestants and songs have now been selected.
Anssi Autio ( UMK Executive Producer) says:
UMK, now organized at arena scale for the third time, is one of the most respected national selections in the Eurovision world, attracting visitors from afar to admire its visuals, spectacle, and communal atmosphere. At last year’s Nokia Arena event, guests arrived from 20 different countries — the longest journeys were made from America and Asia. The UMK event is a unique experience that is absolutely worth experiencing live.
Tapio Hakanen (chair of the professional jury) says:
This season’s artist and song lineup includes a charismatic performer making their debut at UMK, an artist representing today’s most current sound, an internationally sought-after crowd-pleaser, a pioneer in their own genre, a charismatic duo of two unique voices, a dramatic pop piece from a singer with a stunning voice, and a captivating ballad from an artist radiating international appeal.
Finland at Eurovision
Finland debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 and has won the competition once, namely in 2006 when Lordi brought the coveted trophy to home soil for the very first time with Hard Rock Hallelujah. The Nordic country has competed 58 times in Europe’s favorite television show.
In 2025 Erika Vikman represented Finland at the Eurovision Song Contest with her entry ‘Ich Komme’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3vbVd1ynnk
