Vienna chosen as Eurovision 2026 host

MANILA, Philippines — After Filipino-Austrian singer Johannes “JJ” Pietsch’s win at the Eurovision Song Contest in May, next year’s competition will be staged in Vienna, Austria.

Eurovision organizers confirmed Wednesday that the Austrian capital will host the annual event. It will be the third time Vienna has hosted the contest, following 1967 and 2015, when the United Kingdom and Sweden emerged as winners, respectively.

By tradition, the winning country of the previous Eurovision Song Contest is tasked with hosting the competition the following year.

Innsbruck, a three-time Olympic host city, was the other contender to stage next year’s event.

“In Vienna, we can be proud that our city has been selected by the EBU [European Broadcasting Union] and ORF [Österreichischer Rundfunk] as the most suitable Host City for one of the world’s largest events,” Vienna mayor Michael Ludwig said on the Eurovision website.

“We submitted a convincing overall package with enormous accommodation capacities, excellent infrastructure, and a lot of experience in hosting international events. Additionally, we placed great emphasis on offering numerous Eurovision Song Contest events in public spaces that can be visited free of charge,” he added.

Next year’s competition will take place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna on May 12, 14 and 16, 2026.

Pietsch won last May’s contest in Basel, Switzerland, with his song “Wasted Love,” giving Austria its third victory in the event’s history, following wins in 1966 and 2014.