Romania’s national broadcaster confirms that the traditional “Selecția Națională” will choose the country’s representative and song for Eurovision 2026, marking Romania’s return to the contest after a two-year absence.
Romania’s national broadcaster TVR has announced its official return to Eurovision 2026, set to take place in Vienna, Austria, following a two-year break. The broadcaster confirmed that it will once again use its traditional national selection Selecția Națională (“National Selection”) to determine Romania’s artist and song for the upcoming competition.
Romania Brings Back Its Traditional Format
Romania has traditionally selected its Eurovision representative through Selecția Națională. In 2020 and 2021, however, the country experimented with an internal selection process, choosing Roxen as its performer — but she failed to qualify for the grand final on both occasions.
Over the years, the national selection format has undergone numerous changes. Some editions included semifinals, while others featured only a grand final. Romania was among the early adopters of public televoting, first using it in a limited capacity during its inaugural Selecția Națională in 1993. In later years, the format shifted between jury-based and hybrid systems, constantly evolving with viewing trends.
Romania’s two-year hiatus and sudden return are expected to bring new surprises — both in the format and the production quality of the national selection. Many fans anticipate a stronger and more competitive lineup of songs, and some believe this comeback marks a renewed era for Romania at Eurovision. Personally, I think that Romania will learn from its past mistakes and return to being the successful nation we all loved in the competition.
Romania’s Eurovision Journey
Romania has faced significant challenges in Eurovision over the past decade. On April 22nd, 2016, Romania was disqualified from participating in Eurovision 2016 in Stockholm due to unpaid debts to the EBU. This occurred after Ovidiu Anton was selected with his song “Moment of Silence” and had already been assigned a draw position in the second Semi-Final. Despite this setback, Romania returned to compete six more times. In 2017, Romania achieved one of its best results, finishing seventh, but subsequent years saw struggles. From 2018 to 2021, Romania failed to qualify for the final three times consecutively, those were the first three times in its history which Romania was eliminated during the semi-finals. In 2022, against all odds, Romania reached the final and placed 18th. However, Eurovision 2023 marked a painful farewell: Romania finished last in its semi-final for the first time ever and received zero points alongside San Marino.
For Eurovision 2024, Romania delayed confirming its participation while awaiting budget approvals from the Ministry of Finance. After requesting an extension, it officially announced its withdrawal on January 25th, 2024. Hopes briefly resurfaced for Eurovision 2025 when Montenegro confirmed its return after a two-year absence on August 7th, 2024. However, Romania ultimately remained absent from the participant list, marking its longest hiatus since missing three consecutive contests from 1995 to 1997.
What fate will Romania have in Eurovision 2026? Only time will tell…
Romania at Eurovision 2023
“D.G.T (Off and On)” is the name of the song performed by Theodor Andrei, who represented Romania in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2023, held in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The song placed last in its semi-final with zero points, sharing a tie with San Marino. This was the first time Romania finished last and received no points in the competition.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Romania’s 25th participation in Eurovision. Romania joined the contest in 1994 and achieved its best result both in Eurovision 2005 and Eurovision 2010 when Romania finished in third place.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Ofek Jerassi is an Israeli reporter, editor, content creator, and commentator, specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He has developed his extensive expertise since childhood, becoming a close follower of the contest. For the past three years, he has served as a writer and editor for EuroMix—Israel’s largest Eurovision website and one of the world’s leading platforms in the field, with over 1.5 million users annually.
Ofek covered Eurovision 2025 on-site in Basel from the press center in the host city, providing EuroMix readers with firsthand experiences, professional analysis, and exclusive reactions from the audience, artists, and experts. His in-depth knowledge and broad familiarity with the Eurovision world are evident in every article, ensuring reliable, professional, and up-to-date content.
In his personal life, Ofek is a medic and avid traveler. He writes out of a genuine love for Eurovision, placing strong emphasis on credibility, professional commentary, and presenting a diverse range of opinions.
