Vienna Sets January 12 as the Official Starting Line for Eurovision 2026
Vienna will officially step into its role as host of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on 12 January, the day the city stages the Handover Ceremony and the Semi-Final Allocation Draw. It’s the moment when the long build-up truly begins and, para qué engañarnos, when fans start analysing bowls of plastic balls as if they were geopolitics.
A new tradition replaces the old one
Instead of the Host City Insignia that had been passed around for nearly two decades, Vienna will receive a ‘Friendship Gift’ from Basel, the outgoing host. The symbolism is the same: one city hands over the keys and the responsibility, but with a less dusty object and slightly more charm.
How the draw works this year
As usual, the allocation draw is split into two rounds:
1.The Big Four and Austria
France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Austria – the automatic finalists – will learn:
- Which semi-final they are required to broadcast.
- Which semi-final they will vote in.
- And, crucially, in which semi-final they’ll perform their snippet during the show.
Nothing too dramatic, pero ya sabes que cualquier movimiento del Big Five desata lágrimas en Twitter.
2. Everyone else
The second part decides:
- In which semi-final each participating country will compete.
- And whether they perform in the first half or the second half.
Since 2013, the actual running order will be put together later by the show’s producers, once all the songs are known. Translation: expect the usual debates about “favouritism”, “producer engineering” and “why is my country opening again”.
Vienna’s moment begins
With this announcement, Vienna finally steps into the spotlight.
January 12 isn’t just admin; it’s the true start of the hosting year, the moment when everything becomes real: the staging rumours, the tourism campaigns, the panic about hotel prices… all of it.
Eurovision 2026 is officially warming up.
Source: Vienna
