We’re only a few days since JJ won the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, and already cities are thinking about hosting next year. The country’s capital Vienna has expressed a desire to host again.
Third time’s a charm for Vienna?
It did not take long for Vienna to express an interest in hosting the 2026 edition of the contest. The city’s Mayor Michael Ludwig cites the cities extensive resume in hosting international events. Believing the city has a great opportunity to demonstrate it’s “professionalism, hospitality, and cultural charisma”. All the while praising JJ; a student in the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts.
The city previously hosted the 1967 and 2015 editions of the contest; held in the Hofburg Palace, and the Wiener Stadthalle respectively.
The Journey to Eurovision 2026
The journey to the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicked off immediately following JJ’s win in Basel, when Austria’s ORF accepted the rights to host the 70th edition of the contest. At present the Alpine nation has not addressed its plans for how it intends to host, but cities have already begun discussing their thoughts on hosting or not.
The cities that have expressed wishes to host:
- Vienna
The cities that have ruled out hosting:
Austria’s Eurovision Journey
In 1957, Austria made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest, where Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it managed to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 56 times (being in the final 49 times), and – before 2025 – had won the competition on two occasions in 1966 and 2014.
In 2025, Austria selected JJ internally to represent the nation in Basel with “Wasted Love”. Austria successfully qualified for the final, and went on to win the Contest with a total of 436 points. This gave Austria its third win in the Contest, eleven years after their previous victory.
What do you think about Vienna wanting to host again? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: ORF
Photo Credit: Wikimedia / Rizka
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