Romania returns to the Eurovision Song Contest after a two-year break and will compete in the second semifinal of the 2026 edition, scheduled for May 14, Agerpres reported. The first semifinal will take place on May 12, with the grand final set for May 16.

In the second semifinal, Romania will face competition from Albania, Denmark, Armenia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Norway, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Latvia. 

The first semifinal lineup includes countries such as Sweden, Poland, Greece, Finland, Serbia, Moldova, and Israel, among others.

As in previous editions, the results of each semifinal will be decided by a combination of jury scores and public televoting, with the top ten songs from each show qualifying for the final. They will be joined by Austria, the host country and winner of last year’s contest, as well as France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, which automatically qualify as the competition’s main financial contributors.

According to EBU, the precise running order for the two semifinals will be determined by the end of March. The song representing Romania will most likely be chosen through the national selection organized by the Romanian Television.

The 2026 edition marks the 70th anniversary of Eurovision. Austria is hosting the event in Vienna after Austrian artist JJ won last year’s contest, which was held in Basel, Switzerland.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Eurovision Romania)