🇦🇱 TES Ranks: Festivali i Këngës 2026

We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is Festivali i Këngës 2026, which will take place from the 17th to the 20th of December. Festivali i Këngës will select the Eurovision representative for Albania in Vienna.

Who is taking part in the Festivali i Këngës 2025?

There are 28 artists taking part in Festivali i Këngës 2025. The 28 artists taking part are as follows:

Who is our winner from Festivali i Këngës?

We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-28 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 28 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.

3rd. Threex – “Vite” (7.33):

2nd. Ghiti – “Okej!” (6.50):

1st. Alis – “Nân” (6.17):

What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from Festivali i Këngës?

Molly (Threex): This song reminds me of everything I loved about Hurricane back in the day and it has such a mix of that Albanian charm as well. The songs tempo doesn’t feel disjointed but moves so smoothly and the singers really help add the magic to this song. I just hope the staging and performance is able to match the high energy that this song conveys.

Kittens (Ghiti): Well I am the kinda person instantly woken up by a big aggressive bassline, so this was a welcome change to some of the rest of the selection. I do think the production could do with a bit more time in the oven but there’s a really catchy element to this that if delivered well could work in their favour. The clap-clicky bit as well has such potential for a drama moment – and I hope we see it visualised well on stage.

Samantha (Alis): I think that this song has a good chance of winning Festivali I Këngës. It blends Albanian flavour with an international Eurovision feel to it and its anthemic quality will work in his favour as it makes it quite memorable. The live orchestra at Festivali should match “Nân” perfectly. Alis’ vocals are powerful and based on some live performance clips I’ve seen, I think they will hold up well on the night. The only drawbacks are that I feel it gets slightly repetitive towards the end and could do with being polished up if it were to go to the Eurovision stage.

And what were the teams thoughts on the national final as a whole?

Rory: Overall, FiK has shown it’s willing to take some risks with its offerings this year, thanks to Shkodra Elektronike. Some of the swings do miss, but others are big hits and really quite refreshing for a contest that is known for having 20 of the same thing (ahem Sanremo ahem). Ultimately, it’s up to Albania to pick, but i’d really hope they pick something that carries on that modern and traditional blend that we really do like once it gets to Eurovision itself.

Silvia: As a certified Albanian-music enjoyer, I can safely say this might be one of my favourite FiK editions in recent years. I genuinely enjoyed almost every song… sure, there are a few weaker moments, but with 28 entries, perfection is basically impossible, and to me this one comes very close. I’m a ballad fan, and when it has a great arrangement, great lyrics and great vocals, it’s instantly made for me. There are definitely some good picks that could make the Eurovision final, so now I’m just hoping they don’t mess it up with the results!

What is Festivali i Këngës?

Albania’s Festivali i Këngës long predates Albania’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Since 1962, Albanian musicians perform for the broadcast audience in December. At inception, Festivali i Këngës focused on “light music”, a populist kind of classical music. Following the end of a period of censorship in the 1970s and 80s, performers chose from a variety of genres, and love songs, political entries, and rock music became more common; starting in the 1990s, diaspora Albanian singers were also allowed to participate. The entries at FiK have since then often reflected political and social issues prevalent in Albania, such as the transition away from communism, the rash of pyramid schemes in the mid-1990s, and the fragmentation of family units. As of 2004, the winner of Festivali i Këngës gains first refusal to represent Albania at Eurovision; however, beginning in 2022, the jury winner is separate from the televote winner, the latter of whom gets to go to Eurovision.

Albania’s Eurovision Journey

“In 2004, Albania made their debut into the Eurovision Song Contest with Anjeza Shahini with “”Image of You””, which placed 7th in the final. Since their debut, Albania has participated 20 times, and made the final 10 times. They achieved their best result in 2012, where Rona Nishliu placed 5th with “”Suus””.

Shkodra Elektronike represented Albania in the 2025 Contest in Basel with “”Zjerm””. The duo made it to the Grand Final, where they ultimately finished in 8th place with 218 points. 173 of these came from the televote, while the remaining 45 points came from the jury.”

Who would you like to see represent Albania in Vienna? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2026!

News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: RTSH