Just one day before the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final takes place in Vienna, the EBU has officially announced that Malta will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday 24 October.
Junior Eurovision returns to Malta
The European Broadcasting Union confirmed the news through an official press release published on Friday’s morning, revealing that Maltese broadcaster PBS will organise the 24th edition of the contest.
This will mark the third time Malta hosts Junior Eurovision, having previously staged the competition in 2014 and 2016.
According to the EBU, the MFCC arena in Ta’ Qali (the same venue regularly used for the Malta Eurovision Song Contest, Malta’s national selection for Eurovision) will be transformed into a “Eurovision Festa Village”, inspired by Malta’s traditional Festa celebrations, which are recognised by UNESCO as part of the island’s cultural heritage.
PBS stated that the event will combine Mediterranean tradition with “the future of music” in what the broadcaster described as an “explosion of happiness” for young audiences across Europe and beyond.
France declined hosting duties
The announcement comes months after France, winner of Junior Eurovision 2025 with Lou Deleuze’s “Ce Monde“, decided not to host the 2026 edition.
French broadcaster France Télévisions previously confirmed that major budget cuts and financial restructuring made organising the contest impossible despite the country’s victory in Tbilisi.
Following France’s withdrawal from the hosting race, several reports and rumours emerged regarding potential replacement hosts. San Marino publicly expressed interest in organising the contest, while speculation also linked North Macedonia to the event earlier this year.
However, the EBU has now officially confirmed Malta as the host country. Further details, including the full participant lineup, will be announced in the coming months.
Malta’s Junior Eurovision journey
In 2003, Malta was one of the countries to participate in the inaugural edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest with Sarah Harrison and the song “Like A Star”, which placed 7th. The Mediterranean nation participated until 2010, where it took a break and returned in 2013 with Gaia Cauchi and “The Start”, which was their first win in the competition. It wasn’t long until they achieved their second win in 2015, where Destiny Chukunyere won with her song “Not My Soul”. Destiny went on to represent Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021 with “Je Me Casse”, where she placed seventh.
Eliza Borg represented Malta in 2025 with her song “I Believe”. Borg finished eleventh and received 92 points, 38 from the televote and 54 from the juries.
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News Source: EBU
Photo Credit: EBU
Giwrgos Oiko 
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