The return of Ivo Linna

It’s time for another weekly update on Eurovision! Broadcasters across Europe are firming up their plans for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. New confirmations and selection news rolling in. Here are this week’s top stories: Participation Confirmations: Montenegro & Ukraine 🇲🇪 Montenegro: Montenegro’s public broadcaster RTCG has signaled it intends to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. At an RTCG council meeting on 25 August, General Director Boris Raonić stated that “Montenegro’s participation in Eurovision is not in question”. This comes despite some internal debat. One council member argued against the expense. The exact method for selecting Montenegro’s 2026 entry will depend on budget and is set to be finalized in September. Montenegro last took part in Eurovision 2025 with Nina Žižić’s “Dobrodošli”. source: vijesti.me 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Ukraine has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. Suspilne (the Ukrainian broadcaster) officially announced that Ukraine will “take part in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest” It’s the first time Ukraine returns to a contest in Austria after missing 2015 due to financial issues. Suspilne will once again select Ukraine’s representative for Vienna through the Vidbir national final, and the broadcaster is discussing improvements to the selection process. Head of Delegation Oksana Skybinska highlighted Eurovision’s importance as an opportunity to showcase Ukraine’s unique “musical DNA” to the world source: corp.suspilne.media. Song Submission Windows Close in Finland & Switzerland 🇫🇮 Finland: Finland’s Eurovision selection UMK 2026 has closed its song submission window. Yle opened applications for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu on 18 August and accepted entries until 24 August. All aspiring artists and songwriters have now sent in their songs. The Finnish broadcaster will next review the submissions – with the chosen UMK contestants to be revealed in January. The UMK final is set for 28 February 2026 in Tampere, where Finland’s next Eurovision act will be selected. source: YLE 🇨🇭 Switzerland: The Swiss selection for Eurovision 2026 has also hit a major milestone. Its song submission window closed on 25 August. SRG SSR’s open call for entries ran from 4 August until today 25 August at 23:00 CEST. Artists, producers and writers could submit up to five songs each. With submissions now shut, the Swiss selection moves into several audition rounds to pick the nation’s entry. A mix of juries, including Swiss and international audience panels and an expert jury of former Eurovision jurors, will assess the songs in the coming weeks. The winning song and artist are expected to be chosen by late 2025, with an official announcement in early 2026  source: eurovoix.com. 📷 EBU/Alma Bengtsson Stay tuned for more Eurovision news next week. The countdown to Vienna 2026 continues. We’ll keep you updated on all the developments! Share