Croatia: Eurovision 2026 Entry to Be Chosen in February

The Croatian national broadcaster HRT confirmed that Croatia will participate in Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria, with the launch of the submission window for “Dora 2026”.

Croatia’s national broadcaster HRT has confirmed that the country will participate in Eurovision 2026, to be held in Vienna, Austria. Croatia becomes the 27th country to express interest in joining Eurovision 2026, following Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the host country, Austria.

How Will Croatia Choose Its Entry for Eurovision 2026?

Croatia’s participation was confirmed alongside the publication of the regulations for “Dora 2026”. With the announcement, the submission window for songs to Dora has opened. Entries may be submitted until November 23rd, 2025. At the end of this process, a professional jury will select 24 songs for the competition, along with four backup entries in case any are disqualified.

Applications are to be submitted via the Croatian broadcaster HRT’s website. Croatia has frequently chosen its Eurovision entrants through Dora, which ran as the official pre-selection from 1995 to 2011, before returning in 2019 and continuing since.

“Dora 2026” rules:

• Songs must be original, with a maximum length of three minutes.

• Up to six performers may appear on stage; animals are strictly prohibited.

• Contestants must be at least 16 years old and Croatian citizens.

• The use of autotune during the competition is strictly forbidden.

• The 24 selected participants must submit a promotional package (official photograph, biography, and music video) by January 5th, 2026.

Dora 2026 will take place in February and will be broadcast live on HTV, the HRTi platform, and the HRT website. The winner will represent Croatia at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. The broadcaster HRT will cover travel and accommodation costs and retain the right to determine the stage performance.

Croatia in Eurovision: Between Maria Magdalen, Baby Lasagna and Cakes

Croatia has participated in Eurovision 30 times but has never won. The country withdrew twice from the contest, and in 2020 it was set to compete with Damir Kedzo and his song “Divlji Vjetre” (in English: “Wicked Winds”), but the participation was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Croatia is often seen as a country of extremes in Eurovision results. It first competed in 1993, with the band Put, finishing 15th among 25 entries. Since then, Croatia has enjoyed noteworthy results, including two 4th-place finishes. In 1996, Maja Blagdan reached 4th place with “Sveta Ljubav”, holding a Eurovision record for the highest sustained note until 2021, when it was surpassed by Eden Alene. In 1999, Doris Dragović also finished 4th with the iconic “Maria Magdalena”.

Since the introduction of semi-finals, Croatia’s results have fluctuated dramatically – either reaching respectable spots in the final or failing miserbaly to qualify. From 2004 to 2023, Croatia qualified for only 9 finals out of 19 attempts, including lengthy gaps of non-qualification between 2010–2013 and 2018–2022. However, there were standout results in 2004–2006, 2017, 2023, and especially in 2024, when Baby Lasagna brought Croatia its historic best, finishing in second place. In contrast, Croatia’s latest entry in 2025 marked its most painful failure, collapsing from a second-place result the year before to a painful elimination in the semi-finals.

Croatia has never won Eurovision but has reached the Top 5 on four occasions. Its best result was second place at Eurovision 2024. In addition, it placed 4th in Eurovision 1996 and Eurovision 1999 and 5th in Eurovision 1998. Croatia also secured three additional Top 10 results: 6th in Eurovision 1995, 9th in Eurovision 2000, and 10th in Eurovision 2001.