The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced that 16 broadcasters will be taking part in the upcoming Junior Eurovision Song Contest. The 2026 edition of Junior Eurovision is due to be held in Malta, in October.
EBU announces list of 16 countries taking part in Junior Eurovision 2026
The EBU has today confirmed the list of broadcasters taking part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Malta later this year. In a press release, the EBU confirmed that the countries and associated broadcasters that will be present at the Junior Contest are:
- 🇦🇱 RTSH (Albania) – Eslin Kurti – “Kërce me mua”
- 🇦🇲 AMPTV (Armenia)
- 🇨🇾 CyBC (Cyprus) – Haris Georgiou
- 🇫🇷 France Télévisions (France) – Alec Burette
- 🇬🇪 GPB (Georgia) – Davit Lomidze
- 🇮🇪 TG4 (Ireland)
- 🇮🇹 Rai (Italy)
- 🇲🇹 PBS (Malta – hosts)
- 🇲🇪 RTCG (Montenegro)
- 🇳🇱 AVROTROS (Netherlands)
- 🇲🇰 MKRTV (North Macedonia) – Ana Stojanoska – “Idnata jas”
- 🇵🇱 TVP (Poland) – Wiktor Sas
- 🇵🇹 RTP (Portugal) – Salvador Rio
- 🇸🇲 SMRTV (San Marino)
- 🇪🇸 RTVE (Spain)
- 🇺🇦 Suspilne (Ukraine)
The participation list sees changes from last year’s Junior Contest, with Azerbaijan and Croatia not taking part in the 2026 edition, and no new broadcasters joining the show.
The Director of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green had this to say:
We are delighted to welcome 16 talented young artists to Malta, backed by their public service broadcasters. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest showcases creativity and through music, fosters international understanding and underlines our commitment to uncovering the next generation of music talent. We thank PBS for the hard work they’re undertaking to create an excellent and memorable show, and we cannot wait to share it with everyone in October.
Junior Eurovision 2026 begins to take shape
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is due to take place at 21.00 CEST on Saturday 24 October live from the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali, Malta. This is a change in time slot compared to recent years, where the show has been broadcast in early afternoon. The Junior Eurovision 2026 will instead be shown in the evening (CET). Malta’s broadcaster PBS are hosting the Contest for the third time, having staged the event previously in 2014 and 2016.
The EBU have also launched the new Junior Eurovision Song Contest website which can be found here.
Junior Eurovision 2026 story so far
Malta will be hosting the 2026 edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest this year in Ta’Qali. It marks the third time that Malta and PBS have hosted the Junior Contest. Last year’s Contest was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, where France’s Lou Deleuze won with the song “Ce Monde”. At the close of voting, she received 248 points – with 152 coming from the juries and 96 from the online vote.
What do you think about the countries participating in this year’s Junior Eurovision? As always, let us know what you think on social media and follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Bluesky, and ZOOP as we head towards Junior Eurovision 2026!
News source: EBU
Image credit: Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Emma Walton