Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
| Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | ARD[a] – Südwestrundfunk (SWR) | |||
| Country |  Germany | |||
| Selection process | Eurovision Song Contest – Das deutsche Finale 2026 | |||
| Selection date | 28 February 2026 | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
Germany will be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The German participating broadcaster on behalf of ARD, Südwestrundfunk (SWR), will organise the national final format Eurovision Song Contest – Das Deutsche Finale 2026 to select its entry for the contest.
As a member of the "Big Four", Germany automatically qualifies to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Background
Prior to the 2026 contest, ARD has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Germany 68 times since its debut at the inaugural contest in 1956, making Germany, to this point, the country with the most entries in the contest; it has taken part in every edition, except in 1996, when it was eliminated in a pre-qualification round.[1] It has won the contest on two occasions: in 1982 with the song "Ein bißchen Frieden" performed by Nicole, and in 2010 with the song "Satellite" performed by Lena. In 2025, "Baller" performed by Abor & Tynna placed 15th out of 26 competing songs in the final with 151 points.[1]
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, ARD organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. ARD confirmed its participation in the 2026 contest on 3 June 2025.[2] For the first time, ARD has delegated the participation in the contest to its member Südwestrundfunk (SWR), starting in 2026. On 17 September 2025, SWR announced that it would organise a national final with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete in the contest.[3]
Before Eurovision
Eurovision Song Contest – Das deutsche Finale 2026
Eurovision Song Contest – Das deutsche Finale 2026 ("Eurovision Song Contest – The German Final 2026") is the competition that will select the German entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The competition will take place on 28 February 2026 at the Studio Berlin in Adlershof, hosted by Barbara Schöneberger and Hazel Brugger, and will consist of a single show[4] which will be broadcast on Das Erste and One as well as online via the ARD Mediathek platform.
Competing entries
Interested artists and composers were able to submit their entries for the competition between 15 September 2025 and 22 October 2025. Artists were required to be 18 years of age by 30 April 2026, be professional performers with an existing business environment as well as media experience, and have a connection to Germany (possess German citizenship, residency or ancestry, or be German-speaking).[5][6] Additional proposals were received by SWR from record companies, music publishers, artist managers and international music industry representatives.[7][8] The nine competing entries were selected over three stages. In the first stage, entries were selected for the second stage by members of the SWR editorial team.[6] The second stage involved an international expert and audience panel shortlisting several entries for the third stage. In the third stage, the shortlisted artists further developed their songs in songwriting camps with international songwriters and producers, and a panel of music industry experts as well as the international panel selected the nine finalists.[8][9][10] The nine participating acts were announced on 15 January 2026.[11]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Bela | "Herz" |
|
| Dreamboys the Band | "Jeanie" |
|
| Laura Nahr | "Wonderland" |
|
| Malou Lovis | "When I'm with You" |
|
| Molly Sue | "Optimist (Ha Ha Ha)" |
|
| Myle | "A OK" |
|
| Ragazzki | "Ciao ragazzki" |
|
| Sarah Engels | "Fire" |
|
| Wavvyboi | "Black Glitter" |
|
Final
The final will take place on 28 February 2026. The winner will be selected through two rounds of voting. In the first round of voting, a 20-member international jury panel will select the top three entries to proceed to the second round. In the second round, the winner will be selected solely through public voting.[12]
Notes
- ^ Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
References
- ^ a b "Germany". Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ "SWR bestätigt: Deutschland wird am ESC 2026 in Österreich teilnehmen 5". ESC kompakt (in German). 3 June 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Deutschland: Öffentlicher Vorentscheid für den ESC 2026 Ende Februar – Stefan Raab und RTL sind raus" [Germany: Public preselection fot the ESC 2026 at the end of February - Stefan Raab and RTL are aout]. esckompakt.de (in German). Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Moderations-Duo für „Das deutsche Finale 2026" – Hazel Brugger moderiert gemeinsam mit Barbara Schöneberger". ESC Kompakt (in German). 15 January 2026. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ^ "Deutschland: Öffentlicher Vorentscheid für den ESC 2026 Ende Februar – Stefan Raab und RTL sind raus". ESC kompakt (in German). 17 September 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ a b Granger, Anthony (17 September 2025). "🇩🇪 Germany: SWR to Organise Eurovision 2026 Selection for Late February". Eurovoix. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Der Fall WAIT! WHAT? – So sucht der SWR das Teilnehmerfeld für den deutschen ESC-Vorentscheid 2026". ESC kompakt (in German). 11 October 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Vorentscheid „Eurovision Song Contest – Das deutsche Finale" findet am 28. Februar 2026 statt". ESC kompakt (in German). 10 December 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Das deutsche Finale 2026: Neue Infos zum Vorentscheid sollen bereits diese Woche kommen". ESC kompakt (in German). 13 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Wer singt im Jubiläumsjahr in Wien? "Eurovision Song Contest - Das Deutsche Finale 2026" am 28. Februar live in der ARD". presseportal.de (in German). 10 December 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "ESC Update: Line-up für deutschen ESC-Vorentscheid 2026 steht". ndr.de (in German). Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ "Voting bei Das deutsche Finale 2026: Viel Macht für die Jury, Zuschauer*innen dürfen nur über drei Acts abstimmen" [Voting at Das deutsche Finale 2026: Much power for the jury, audience is only allowed to vote for three acts] (in German). esckompakt. 15 January 2026.