Montenegro’s national broadcaster has not yet confirmed participation in Eurovision 2026, despite reports suggesting otherwise. The final decision will be made at the end of September.

Journalists and Eurovision commentators were quick to affirm Montenegro’s participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2026, following the publication of a summary letter by the head of delegation, Vladana Vučinić, on the website of the national broadcaster RTCG after Eurovision 2025. In this letter, Vladana wrote: “See you next year”, which gave the impression that Montenegro is expected to return to the competition next year. However, it is important to clarify that the national broadcaster emphasized that final approval for participation will only be granted at the end of September.

Rumors, Misunderstandings, and a Look Back at Montenegro’s Eurovision 2025

Montenegro’s representative for Eurovision 2025, Nina Žižić, finished in 16th and last place in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2025, with only 12 points – all from the Serbian televote. The result raised questions about Montenegro’s future involvement and the feasibility of its participation next year. In her summary letter, published on the official website of the Montenegrin national broadcaster, the head of delegation shared the economic challenges associated with participating in Eurovision, Nina Žižić’s outfit, the messages in the song, and more. In her letter, she concluded:

“See you next year. Until then – thank you for watching us, for your comments, and for laughing a little with us”.

The letter, published on May 19th (two days after the Eurovision final), sparked speculation among Eurovision websites that this was an expression of interest and confirmation of Montenegro’s participation in next year’s contest. However, in a conversation with the Latin American Eurovision fan site Eurovision.Lat, the Montenegrin national broadcaster stated that it will only decide on its participation in Eurovision 2026 at the end of September.

As of now, 15 countries have expressed interest in participating in Eurovision 2026: Albania, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the host country, Austria.

Montenegro at Eurovision 2026: Surprise or Predicted Disappointment?

As a journalist covering Eurovision for several years, and with a special affection for Montenegro’s recent entry, one cannot ignore concerns about Montenegro’s chances at Eurovision 2026, should it choose to participate again. The economic challenges faced by the Montenegrin delegation in the last competition led to extreme cost-cutting, which was reflected, among other things, in a relatively static performance by Nina Žižić, compared to the dynamic and impressive performances of other competitors.

Over Montenegro’s 13 Eurovision participations, the country has managed to reach the final only twice—in 2014 and 2015. Following the national broadcaster’s economic situation and disappointing results, the country withdrew from the contest and did not compete in 2020-2021, and 2023-2024. Given all this, one can only hope that the Montenegrin delegation will maintain its participation, overcome its limitations, and manage to pleasantly surprise in the years to come.

Montenegro in Eurovision 2025

“Dobrodošli” (in English: “Welcome”) is the title of the song performed by singer Nina Žižić, who finished in 16th and last place with only 12 points in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2025, held on May 15th in Basel, Switzerland.