Eurovision 2026: Austria's cities are fighting for the ESC!

Eurovision 2026: Austria's cities are fighting for the ESC!

Wien, Österreich - Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2026 after JJ's remarkable victory in 2025. The event will take place in Austria, which entails both opportunities for tourism and the image of the country, and is associated with high costs. The ESC in Basel 2024 cost around 64 million euros, a sum that was divided between Swiss television, the city of Basel and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Dario Silic, professor at the Swiss School of Business and Management, estimates the economic profit for Basel to a comparable amount.

Currently several cities in Austria apply for the organization of the ESC 2026. However, some cities such as Klagenfurt and Salzburg have already waved away. Klagenfurt considers the orientation as "simply not possible", while Salzburg's mayor describes the situation as "de facto impossible", since the fair arena would have to be blocked for a period of six weeks.

alignment requirements and favorites

The EBU places high demands on the cities who want to organize the ESC. This includes criteria such as hall capacities, well -developed infrastructure and sufficient accommodation. Against this background, Vienna is an obvious option, since the city successfully hosted the ESC in 2015. Mayor Michael Ludwig has already declared his willingness to be aligned.

Innsbruck also shows interest and could use the Olympichall as a possible venue. Other cities in the race are St. Pölten, Wels - which has a new exhibition hall - and Oberwart, which, however, have weaknesses in relation to the infrastructure. Klaus Leutgeb, operator of the Schwarzl leisure center in Premstätten near Graz, plans a large public viewing and sees opportunities for Graz.

A fixed date for the ESC 2026 has not yet been determined, but the final could probably take place on May 16, 2026. These preparations show that the Austrian cities are willing to present themselves in the international spotlight and to accept the challenges of the event.

Further information can be found on Austria.ORF.at