Croatia’s HRT has announced that the next edition of Dora, the country’s national final for Eurovision, will be held in the capital Zagreb.
From Opatija to Zagreb
Despite a few interludes, Opatija had been the long standing host of Dora; Croatia’s national final for Eurovision. HRT have revealed that the contest will now be held in Zagreb. Despite the loss of the contest Croatia’s HRT have said they still wish to collaborate with the city on future projects. The next edition of Dora also coincides with the centenary of radio broadcasting in the Balkan country.
With the race on to find Marko’s successor heating up, speculation is rife; 2024 winner Baby Lasagne among them.
What’s still to come
- 23rd of November 2025 – Submission window closes
- January 2026 – Artist list and songs revealed
- February 2026 – Dora 2026 to take place
What is Dora?
Dora has taken place 25 times since its inception in 1992, and has selected the majority of Croatia’s Eurovision entries, except for a hiatus between 2011 and 2019. Since its return, the competition has usually consisted of a single final of around 14 to 18 songs, but the format has changed in 2024 to include a semi-final stage for the expanded amount of 24 songs. The winner will be decided by a 50/50 split between a televote, and four national and four international jury panels.
Croatia’s Eurovision Journey
Croatia has been a part of the Eurovision family since 1961, as part of Yugoslavia. Ten Croatian artists went on to represent Yugoslavia in the Contest – the most famous of which being Riva, who gave Yugoslavia its only win in 1989. The 1990 Contest was held in Zagreb as a tribute to their Croatian heritage. Croatia debuted in the Contest as an independent nation in 1993 with the band Put and their song “Don’t Ever Cry”. Since then, Croatia has gone on to score as high as 2nd place in 2024.
In 2025, Croatia chose Marko Bošnjak to represent the nation in Basel with his song “Poison Cake”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia failed to qualify for the final, placing twelfth with a televote score of 28 points.
Are you excited for next year’s Dora in Zagreb? 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!
Source: HRT
Photo credit: Rory Gannon for That Eurovision Site
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