ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, has unveiled the trio who will commentate at the forthcoming Austrian national final ‘Vienna Calling – Who Sings for Austria’
Caroline Athanasiadis, Elton, and Luca Hänni will add a touch of glam, glitz and glitter to the upcoming Austrian national final. They will be present at the ORF Studios during the national final show where they will offer their view and comments on the 12 competing performances, but will not award any points to the participants. The trio will share their expertise, knowledge and entertaining analysis.
Luca Hanni represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv with his epic entry ‘She Got Me’.
The 2026 Austrian national final is scheduled to be held in Vienna on Friday 20th February. The show will be broadcast live on ORF 1 at 20:15 CET and will be hosted by Cesar Sampson (Austria 2018) and Alice Tumler (Eurovision 2015 hostess).
A total of 12 acts will battle for the golden ticket to Eurovision 2026 at ‘Vienna Calling- Who Sings for Austria’.The 2026 Austrian Eurovision entry will be determined via a combined public televoting/ international jury deliberation.
ORF’s official press release reads:
Caroline Athanasiadis trusts the Austrian music scene
Comedian and “Smart10” presenter Caroline Athanasiadis is probably one of the biggest Eurovision Song Contest fans – she’s already looking forward to the national final and is also closely watching the entries from other countries:
That’s why I’m very curious to see what we have to offer this year. Our music scene is extremely diverse and often underestimated. But I know we have fantastic musicians and internationally successful bands that the general public often knows nothing about. I’m just going to let everything come to me spontaneously and hope that we can send an innovative entry into the competition.
Elton: A dream comes true “at the reigning European champions”.
Presenter Elton not only served as the German points announcer in 2023, but also played a key role in numerous national finals in Germany.
It’s an incredible honor for me to be hired by the reigning European champions and appointed to their team. As probably the biggest living Austria fan outside of Austria, this is a dream come true. And I promise: I will contribute all my passion, all my know-how, and all my expertise so that you start your title defense mission with the best possible squad.And then I’m sure Austria will be celebrating in the end! A really great second place behind Germany.
Luca Hänni wants to pass on his experience
Luca Hänni, in turn, knows the Eurovision Song Contest feeling firsthand: He represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in 2019 and achieved a sensational fourth place.
The ESC holds a very special place for me – which makes me all the more delighted to be part of the commentary panel this year. I’m excited about the acts and look forward to sharing my experiences,” he says, pleased about his role on “Vienna Calling – Who sings for Austria?”
