Greece: The Entries of “Ethnikos Telikos 2026” Postponed to January 4th!

Greece’s national broadcaster ERT will officially reveal the entries competing to represent Greece at Eurovision 2026 on January 4th at 18:00 CET, along with a new logo for the national final.

The New Date for the Participant Reveal

The presentation of the artists and songs participating in the national preselection will take place on January 4, instead of December 20 as initially reported. The reveal will air on ERT1 through the program “Sing For Greece – Ελληνικός Τελικός 2026 – Οι φιναλίστ”. The change of date came because the special broadcast dedicated to the reveal was not ready to air on the originally planned day.

According to a report in the Greek newspaper Ta Nea, immediately following the announcement, the selected artists will be required to arrive at ERT’s headquarters to sign the relevant agreements. As part of this, they will confirm their participation in the national preselection, acknowledge the competition’s regulations, and agree to comply with the strict rules of the EBU — which aim to preserve Eurovision’s non-political spirit.

This year’s national final will be hosted by Betty Maggira, who previously co-hosted the shows in 2008 and 2009 and is now expected to present the semi-finals, and Giorgos Kapoutzidis, who returns to host the grand final after 13 years.

The Greek Eurovision national final is scheduled for February 7th, with two semi-finals planned for February 3rd and February 5th.

International Interest in the Line-Up

A total of 264 songs were submitted to the selection, but one in particular has drawn notable international attention. Israeli Composer Keren Peles has written a song produced by Tomer Biran and performed by Xannova Xan, a Greek singer who recently had an interview on our website. Fans will be watching closely on Jaunary 4th to see whether the song will be part of Greece’s national-final lineup for Eurovision 2026.

For watching the full interview with Xannova Xan – Press on the screen below!

How the Competing Songs Be Selected?

All songs submitted for a chance to represent Greece will be evaluated by a seven-member committee, of which only two members will represent ERT. This structure is intended to ensure transparency and diversity of opinions. However, the names of the jury members will be disclosed only after the songs are published, maintaining objectivity during the selection process.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Greek national broadcaster ERT officially confirmed receiving 264 submissions for the national selection process through which Greece’s entry will be chosen for the grand stage in Vienna, Austria.

As reported earlier, the submission window was open from September 17th to November 2nd. In the final 24 hours, over 100 songs were sent in. Notably, 200 of all submissions arrived during the last five days of the submission window.

This year saw a significant increase in the number of songs submitted to represent Greece. In total, 264 songs were received, compared to 187 last year — 77 more entries, reflecting the growing public enthusiasm surrounding Eurovision. This surge in interest is likely due to Greece’s impressive success last year with Klavdia and her song “Asteromáta” (in English: “Starry Eyes”), which achieved 6th place — Greece’s best result since 2013, when the country also placed sixth.

Keren Peles for Greece?

According to an exclusive report published on our website, Keren Peles has submitted a song for Greece’s national final! Keren Peles wrote a song that was submitted to the Greek pre-selection, expected to take place at the end of January. This fascinating collaboration began earlier this summer through a partnership with the Greek Eurovision website Eurovisionfun, where Peles and the Greek production team began working jointly on the project. The creative team includes both Greek and Israeli professionals. Peles is no stranger to Greece — she owns a home on the island of Antiparos and spends considerable time there.

The involvement of Israeli songwriters in Eurovision national selections across Europe is not a new phenomenon. Still, Keren Peles’ participation in Greece’s competition, as a well-known figure representing Israeli pop culture in recent years, is expected to attract substantial media attention — and possibly spark protests from anti-Israel circles in Greece.

Relations between Israel and Greece in recent years have swung between tension and friendship. There was hostility during Eurovision 2024, particularly following the “yawning incident” involving Marina Satti. However, in Eurovision 2025, relations warmed thanks to Klavdia’s success, which received 12 points from the Israeli jury and 7 points from the Israeli public. Now, with Keren Peles taking part in Greece’s national final, the musical partnership between the two nations may continue to strengthen in the years ahead.

Expanded Format: Major Changes in the Greek National Selection

Last year’s “Ethnikos Telikos” was a massive success within Greece and beyond, with the January 30th, 2025 broadcast achieving the highest TV ratings in Greece for 15 years. The contest’s winner, Klavdia, brought Greece an impressive sixth place at Eurovision 2025, matching the country’s 2013 achievement – one not matched until this year.

According to information we got from Eurovisionfun, the “Ethnikos Telikos” expands this year to include two Semi-Finals in addition to the Final. 28 songs will compete: 14 in each Semi-Final. The outcome in the Semi-Finals will be determined solely by the public, who will select seven qualifiers from each Semi-Final for the Final. In the Final, 14 entries will compete, with voting once again split 50-50 between juries – equally divided between a domestic and an international panel – and the public. According to the broadcaster:

“Through an upgraded and open-to-all process, including two Semi-Finals and one Final, ERT moves forward with selecting the song and artist that will represent our country in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. This follows the successful organization of last January’s national final and Greece’s excellent 6th place at Eurovision 2025, which achieved record ratings of the last 15 years. Specifically, up to 28 songs will compete across two Semi-Finals, from which 14 will qualify for the National Final, decided exclusively by the public. In the National Final, the winning song will be determined by both the audience and the juries, granting the performer the ticket to Vienna, where the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in May 2026”.

Greece at Eurovision 2025

“Asteromáta” (translated as: “Eyes of Stars”) is the song performed by Klavdia, who represented Greece in the grand final of Eurovision 2025. Greece finished sixth in the grand final with 231 points.

Eurovision 2026: This will be Greece’s 46th participation in Eurovision. Greece joined the competition in 1974 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2005 when singer Helena Paparizou won first place with the song “My Number One”.