Romania Selects Eurovision 2026 Entry; Spanish Artist Competes via San Marino

The initial phases for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, scheduled for May 2026 in Vienna, Austria, have progressed with Romania finalizing its national selection. Romania concluded its domestic competition, Selecţia Naţională 2026, on March 4, 2026, to determine its representative for the event. The contest will be hosted by ORF at the Wiener Stadthalle, Austria’s largest indoor arena. This participation marks Romania's return to the competition following its absence in 2023.

The Romanian final featured twelve entries, with the lineup partially determined by digital metrics. Two entries, "Humans" by Antonio Pican and "All The Way" by Wrs, were included as wildcards based on their YouTube viewership figures. The selection process relied on a specialized jury panel of musicians, composers, and journalists tasked with identifying compositions with a competitive international sonic profile. TVR, the Romanian broadcaster, initially received 101 song submissions, from which 67 acts advanced to an audition phase held between February 9 and February 11, 2026. The jury selected ten finalists, and the two wildcards brought the total to twelve for the March 4 final, where a jury-only vote decided the representative.

In a parallel process, a Spanish artist is indirectly vying for a Vienna stage spot through San Marino’s national selection, the Dreaming San Marino Song Contest. Spanish-Uruguayan vocalist Matías Ferreira is currently competing with his track "Paura," released in 2026, in the First Semi-Final on March 4, 2026. This indirect participation follows precedent, such as the band Megara representing San Marino in the 2024 contest. The Grand Final of the San Marino selection is scheduled for March 7, which will determine that nation's entry for the main event in May. Ferreira's song, "Paura," focuses on the theme of liberation from fear and places him among nineteen other competitors in his semi-final heat.

The Dreaming San Marino Song Contest has shown considerable international reach, receiving applications from 42 countries, reflecting its cosmopolitan selection format. The process began with an audition stage that shortlisted approximately 240 singers for the Live Academy round, which consisted of eight sessions. From this stage, 40 artists advanced to two semi-finals on March 2 and March 3, with ten qualifiers joining ten pre-selected established artists for the March 7 Grand Final, where a five-member jury will determine the overall winner.

Vienna’s selection as the host city for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest follows Austria’s 2025 victory with JJ’s song "Wasted Love." The contest week is scheduled from May 12 to May 16, 2026, with Semi-Finals on May 12 and 14, and the Grand Final on May 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle. This marks Vienna's third time hosting the event, having previously done so in 1967 and 2015. The city is utilizing its infrastructure, which includes over 80,000 hotel beds and robust transport links, to stage the event. The Eurovision Village is set to open at the Rathausplatz, Vienna City Hall Square, on Sunday, May 10, for a week of public programming.