Austria starts application process for the ESC 2026 - who will be hosting?

Austria starts application process for the ESC 2026 - who will be hosting?

Österreich - On June 2, 2025, the application process for the venue of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) was launched in 2026 after Austria won the competition. The Austrian radio (ORF) invites Austrian cities and municipalities to submit their application documents by July 4, 2025. This registration takes place against the background of the positive economic consequences that the ESC can bring for the host city.

The ESC attracts an international audience and offers significant advantages for the selected cities, including economic benefits through increased tourism, international visibility and a long -term strengthening of the image. For example, report OTS that Liverpool attracted around 473,000 visitors and thereby an additional revenue of £ 55 million generated in the region. Basel also had over 500,000 visitors after the ESC 2023, which brought hotel utilization to 95 % and enabled 50,000 overnight stays.

criteria and requirements for applicants

The requirements for applicants are clearly defined. The venue must have a fully equipped event hall that has good international connections and can offer sufficient accommodations. A minimum requirement is that the connection must be available exclusively for at least eight weeks and can manage an audience with a capacity of around 10,000 people. Applications that do not meet these minimum requirements are not taken into account.

Financial aspects play a crucial role in successfully performing the event. Event projects such as the ESC require substantial investments, whereby the costs for the list of the voucher are dependent on various factors. Oxford Economics emphasizes that the event is financed by the host city, broadcasting institutions, sponsorship funds, ticket sales and state funds. Sponsoring becomes more and more relevant in order to be less dependent on tax funds.

long -term effects and challenges

The last competition courses show that, despite the financial burden, significant income is also generated. For example, a visit to around 100,000 people is expected for the ESC 2024 in Malmö, while the costs are estimated at around 28 million euros. Such events contribute significantly to added value in the region and often show a positive "legacy effect". Host city of 2013, Malmö, achieved the last ESC advertising of 1.1 billion seconds

Nevertheless, the hosts also face challenges. Spiegel speaks of the possible financial stress through the event. Similar to Sweden, which was not willing to host again in 2015 due to debts from the previous event in 2017, the new hosts must ensure that they can handle the financial means.