Eurovision 2026 : what might happen in May ?
Imagine it's May 2026. Around 30 countries are participating in Eurovision 2026. Due to its lowest number of contestants in two decades and the huge loss of some participants' fees, the EBU has decided there will be only one semi-final and one grand final.
The televoting will be replaced by online voting, but unlike the JESC one, it won't be free, and you will have to vote for 10 countries, excluding the participating country where your IP address is based. The use of a VPN will be forbidden. The jury voting will remain the same.
Ticket prices will be the most expensive in 10 years, with prices reaching up to 950€ for a ticket to the grand final. Many fans will denounce this price increase and accuse the organisers of class contempt and of favouring seats for people from wealthy backgrounds.
To prevent and hide boos and visual "undesired reactions", the production team has decided to mute the audience and alter their faces during the entire event and will use an AI software to create fake cheers, applause and desired reactions from them.
Like last year, only the competing countries' flags will be allowed on stage and in the green room, all other flags, including 🏳️🌈, will be banned again. However, the same rules will apply for the public in the Eurovision Village, during the opening ceremony and in the venue.
The automatic finalists will be the remaining Big 4 and the 10 highest-scoring countries of ESC 2025 🇦🇹🇮🇱🇪🇪🇸🇪🇬🇷🇦🇱🇺🇦🇨🇭🇫🇮🇱🇻
The rest of the running countries will compete in the semi-final, where 10 countries will advance to the grand final at the end of the 1st show.
There will be 24 finalists in the grand final, 12 entries in the first half, and 12 others in the second half. The online voting will be open from the beginning of the show for 2 hours. At least 80 armed security personnel will be in and around the Wiener Stadhalle.
- Fun facts about Austrian culture
- Austrian entries revisited in the classic and opera genres
- A sarcastic and predictable act about war around the world with a peaceful message
- 70th anniversary of ESC
- JJ's new song, which will be somewhat controversial
The edition, described as a glitter disaster by the press, will record huge viewership and viewing share losses on several markets, the lowest in years. This will lead organisers to wonder what they can do to better bounce back for the next edition, if it ever takes place.
And that concludes that dystopian post about what might happen in May 2026 at Eurovision 2026.
Original post from my Twitter @/bettyGB_10
https://x.com/bettyGB_10/status/1968070764516753434?t=vmXFkw5JO7HmvtqHADtwNw&s=19