The Austrian public broadcaster ORF confirmed the news. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann said that the semi-finals will be held on 12 and 14 May, and the final on 16 May in Vienna’s Stadthalle.
Thus, the public broadcaster has chosen the capital city over the other two cities that applied to host the contest. According to Weissmann, both cities presented compelling concepts. However, after the jury and a group of experts assessed the proposal, it became clear that Vienna’s proposal was more successful not only in terms of infrastructure and logistics, but also from an economic point of view.
Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig expressed pride and satisfaction with the decision, noting that, based on the experience of organizing international events, special attention will be paid to events in public spaces in Eurovision 2026, in which everyone can take part.
The Austrian capital will host Eurovision for the third time; this international music event was previously held in Vienna in 1967 and 2015.
