Latvia at Eurovision 2026: Latvian national broadcaster LTV has announced that the national selection “Supernova 2026” will take place on February 14th.
Just hours after the Latvian national broadcaster announced its participation in Eurovision 2026, an official announcement was released yesterday (Friday), confirming that “Supernova 2026” will take place on February 14th, 2026. For the first time since 2019, “Supernova” will include three broadcasts: two semi-finals and a grand final.
Latvia Plans Another Supernova?
Latvia’s national broadcaster confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 to Eurovision news website ESC Today. “Supernova” will again serve as Latvia’s selection platform for the Eurovision entry, marking the 11th consecutive year that the Latvian song will be chosen via Supernova – except for 2021, when Samanta Tina was selected directly after the cancellation of Eurovision 2020. The submission window for Supernova 2026 opened yesterday at 07:00 CET, until October 1st, 2025 at 22:59 CET. After submissions close, entries will be reviewed by a jury, with the names of artists and songs expected to be revealed in November.
Now, the Latvian national broadcaster has confirmed to Eurovisionworld that the representative for Eurovision will be chosen following two semi-finals and a final on the following dates:
Supernova 2026 Dates:
- First Semi-Final – Saturday, January 31st, 2026.
- Second Semi-Final – Saturday, February 7th, 2026.
- Grand Final – Saturday, February 14th, 2026.
Ten contestants from the semi-finals are expected to advance to the grand final, with one additional spot reserved for a wild card entry at the broadcaster’s discretion, giving a second chance to a song that did not qualify for the final.
Alongside the opening of registration for the competition, the broadcaster published several rules:
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The song must not exceed three minutes and must feature original music and lyrics.
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No more than six people may appear on stage during the performance.
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Entries cannot be publicly performed or released in any form prior to September 1st, 2025.
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Latvian citizens and residents can take part as contestants, while non-Latvian artists and authors may contribute as writers, composers, or producers, provided they do not hold more than 49% of the rights to a song.
Latvia’s Eurovision Journey
Latvia is considered a relatively struggling country in Eurovision. Of its 25 appearances, it has won once, in its third year, when Marie N brought Latvia its only victory at Eurovision 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia. Latvia has never skipped a Eurovision contest except in 2020, when Samanta Tina’s participation was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite consistent attendance, Latvia has failed to reach the grand final 14 times, finishing last in its semi-final five times, in 2009-2010, 2013, 2017, and 2021. Since the introduction of semi-finals, Latvia qualified for the final only seven times: 2005, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2024, and 2025. Still, Latvia has finished in the top five three times – with one voctory (2002), one third place (2000), and one fifth place (2005). Latvia also achieved sixth place in 2015, when Aminata Savadogo performed “Love Injected” in Vienna.
Latvia at Eurovision 2025
“Bur Man Laimi” (in English: “Song for Happiness”) is the name of the song performed by Tautumeitas, representing Latvia at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. The song is performed in Latvian – the first song in Latvian sent since 2004!
It placed second in the second semi-final with 130 points, reached the grand final, and finished thirteenth with 158 points – Latvia’s second consecutive qualification and highest achievement since Eurovision 2015.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Latvia’s 26th participation. Latvia debuted in 2000 and achieved its best result in 2002, when Marie N won with “I Wanna”.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
