Next Tuesday, Austria will unveil the contestants for its 2026 national final “Vienna Calling”. The winner will represent the host country at Eurovision on home soil in Vienna.
Austria, host of Eurovision 2026, is also getting ready to select its own entry for the upcoming contest. For the first time in nearly a decade, the national broadcaster (ORF) will hold an open national selection to choose who will represent Austria on home soil. ORF confirmed that more than 500 songs were submitted to the national final “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?” (“Vienna Calling – Who Will Sing for Austria?”), covering a wide range of musical styles, languages, and artists.
On ORF’s FM4 radio, it was announced on Friday that the twelve contestants for the national final will be revealed on December 16th. After an initial screening phase, a jury panel selected the acts that advanced to live auditions held in November – and on Tuesday the final lineup of participants will be officially presented.
Two Eurovision Legends to Host “Vienna Calling”
The Austrian national final “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?” will take place on 20 February and will be broadcast live on ORF 1. A combination of jury voting and televoting will determine who will represent Austria at Eurovision on home soil. Hosting the live show on 20 February 2026 are two of the country’s most iconic Eurovision figures: Alice Tumler and Cesár Sampson.
Tumler, of course, is fondly remembered as part of the hosting quartet of Eurovision 2015—also held in Vienna—and continues to receive praise today. Sampson represented Austria at Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon with the song “Nobody But You,” winning the jury vote and finishing a respectable third in the grand final.
As previously reported, Sampson was already recruited as part of the talent scouting team alongside Eberhard Forcher and Peter Schreiber. Now, he will take on a dual role as both scout and host.
ORF program director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said:
“Another major step toward Eurovision 2026 has been taken. I’m delighted with the impressive variety of submissions. Now, our task is to find the perfect match for ‘Vienna Calling.’ With Alice Tumler and Cesár Sampson, we have two Eurovision professionals who will support both the artists and the public through this emotional journey.”
ORF’s focus on producing a high-quality preselection coincides with its firm stance regarding the 2026 Eurovision itself, as reflected in its public support for Israel’s participation in the upcoming contest.
“Excited to Return to Eurovision Madness”
The announcement brought waves of excitement among the hosts themselves. Alice Tumler shared:
“Hosting ‘Vienna Calling’ means so much to me. Eleven years after the most thrilling event of my life—Eurovision 2015—I’m thrilled to return and be part of the team again. I’m looking forward to Vienna, the Eurovision madness, the viewers—and of course, I’m very curious to find out who will represent Austria on home ground in 2026.”
Cesár Sampson added from his unique perspective as a scout:
“As a scout, I’ve already had the opportunity to listen to all the artists. As host of ‘Vienna Calling,’ I can’t wait to share this journey with the audience and show what incredible talent we have at the starting line. ‘Vienna Calling,’ the show that will decide our next Eurovision representative—this is something no one should miss. Let’s go, Eurovision fever!”
“Vienna Calling”: The Audience Votes Again
So what does the selection process look like in the coming months? After more than 500 songs were submitted, the broadcaster’s team held intensive listening sessions. Together with the three talent scouts (Sampson, Forcher and Schreiber), they compiled a shortlist of the 30 strongest entries.
These 30 artists were invited to internal live auditions at ORF’s facilities at the end of November, where they had to demonstrate both their vocal abilities and stage presence. From this group, 12 artists will be chosen to compete in the “Vienna Calling” grand final.
In the most significant change since 2016, Austria is returning to a national final format in which viewers at home will once again have a vote and real influence on the outcome, alongside a professional jury.
The grand final of “Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?” will be broadcast live on ORF 1 on Friday, February 20, 2026, at 20:15 CET.
Austria at Eurovision 2025
JJ, a 23-year-old opera singer, represented Austria at Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love“, after being internally selected by the national broadcaster ORF. JJ won Eurovision, finishing in first place with 436 points: 258 from the juries, ranking first, and 178 from the public, ranking fourth. Among these were 8 points from the Israeli public and 6 points from the Israeli jury.
JJ’s victory marks Austria’s third win in Eurovision history, following Udo Jürgens in 1966 with “Merci, Cherie” and Conchita Wurst in 2014 with “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Austria’s 58th participation in Eurovision. Austria joined the competition in 1957 and has won three times over the years. Austria’s last victory was in Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by singer JJ.
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Tal Dahan – Journalist, radio broadcaster, and Eurovision content creator.
Tal Dahan is an Israeli journalist and editor specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest, working with the EuroMix editorial team for four years. Since 2022, she has provided regular on-site coverage of Eurovision from the host city, and from 2023 has also reported directly from the press room—offering the Israeli audience live updates, exclusive interviews, and in-depth commentary.
Tal is a member of the Eurovision tribute and parody band “EuroFalsh,” a radio broadcaster, and a student of political science and communications.
She is considered one of Israel’s leading young Eurovision experts. In addition to covering the main contest, Tal has reported from Eurovision pre-parties and national selection events across Europe (in Thessaloniki, Stockholm, Madrid, and more), been interviewed by major media outlets in Israel and internationally, and presented Eurovision-themed podcasts and radio shows.
