Croatia’s national broadcaster HRT has revealed the dates for “Dora 2026”, and announced the semi-final line-up of the 24 contestants. Which artist compete in each semi-final? All the details – Right here!
Croatia’s national broadcaster HRT announced yesterday (Thursday) the official dates for “Dora 2026”, and also unveiled the division of the 24 contestants into two semi-finals. According to the announcement, the process for selecting the entry that will represent Croatia at Eurovision will be broadcast live from Zagreb, and will include three main shows: two semi-finals and a grand final, where we will finally learn who will represent Croatia at Eurovision 2026, which will take place in Vienna, Austria.
The first semi-final will take place on Thursday, February 12th, 2026, while the second semi-final will be held the following day, Friday, February 13th. The grand final, in which Croatia’s Eurovision entry will be chosen, is scheduled for Sunday, February 15th.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
In each semi-final, 12 contestants will compete, with 8 from each show expected to advance to the grand final — a total of 16 finalists.
“Dora 2026”: Semi-Finals Running Order
First Semi-Final – Thursday, February 12th
- Lima Len – “Raketa“
- Jasmina Makota – “Higher“
- Ananda – “Dora“
- Tony Sky – “O Ne!”
- Fran Uccellini – “Ako Bolje Bude Sutra“
- Ema Bubic – “Vrijeme Za Nas“
- Noelle – “Uninterrupted“
- Alan Duras – “From Ashes to Flame“
- Fenksta – “Memento Mori“
- Cold Snap – “Mucho Macho“
- ToMa – “Ledina“
- LELEK – “Andromeda“
Second Semi-Final – Friday, February 13th
- Ritam Noir – “Profumi Di Mare“
- Irma – “Ni Traga“
- Gabrijel Ivić – “Light Up“
- Zevin – “My Mind“
- Ivan Sever – “Crying Eyes“
- Lana Mandaric – “Tama“
- Stela Rade – “Nema Te“
- Devin – “Over Me“
- Kandzia – “3 Ujutro“
- Marko Kultic – “Neotudivo“
- Sergej – “Scream“
- Lara Demarin – “Mantra“
Click the song title to listen!
Three Backup Entries for “Dora 2026”
1. Dorian Stipcic – “Loved”
2. Gabriela Braicic – “Soho”
3. Vanessa Kralj – “Tisina Prije Kise”
Among The Contestants – Several Familiar Names:
- LELEK – competed in Dora 2025 with the song “The Soul of my Soul“, and finished in fourth place.
- Alan Duras – competed in Dora 2024 with the song “A Tamburitza Lullaby“, and finished in fifth place.
- ToMa – competed in Dora 2022 with the song “In the Darkness“, and finished in seventh place.
- Fenksta – competed in Dora 2025 with the song “Extra“, and finished in ninth place.
- Ananda – competed in Dora 2025 with the song “Lies Lay Cold“, and finished in ninth place in the second semifinal.
- Irma – competed in Dora 2025 with the song “Enigma“, and finished in 11th place in the second semifinal.
How Will Croatia Continue Choosing Its Entry for Eurovision 2026?
The 24 contestants were selected to compete in “Dora 2026” out of 251 songs submitted during the submission window. Four additional songs were selected to serve as backups in case one of the participants withdraws or is disqualified.
The Croatian national selection will take place in February and will be broadcast live on the HTV channel, the HRTi platform, and the HRT website. The winner of the national contest will earn the right to represent Croatia at Eurovision 2026, which will be held in Vienna, Austria. The Croatian broadcaster HRT will cover the travel and accommodation costs and will determine the format of the Croatian performance in Vienna.
Croatia in Eurovision: Between Maria Magdalena, 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.
“Dora 2026” Dates:
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Semi-final 1 – Thursday, February 12th, 2026.
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Semi-final 2 – Friday, February 13th, 2026.
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Grand Final – Sunday, February 15th, 2026.
Croatia at Eurovision 2025
“Poison Cake” was the title of the song performed by Marko Bošnjak in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025. Croatia failed to qualify for the grand final, breaking the country’s recent streak of success. The song finished 12th out of 15 entries in its semi-final, receiving a total of 28 points.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Croatia’s 31st participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Croatia joined the competition in 1993 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2024 by finishing in second place with the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” performed by the singer Baby Lasagna.
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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.
