Slovenia withdraws from Eurovision
This year's Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Vienna, will take place without Slovenia. Slovenian national broadcaster RTVSLO has decided to withdraw from the contest after months of discussions over Israel's participation and the way the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has handled the situation. Slovenian media reported that RTVSLO believed that the current direction of the contest was no longer in line with the values that the public service wants to represent. Read more about the decision here.
Croatia: LELEK – “Andromeda”
Croatia will be represented at Eurovision 2026 by the female group LELEK with the song “Andromeda”, which won Dora 2026. The song combines contemporary pop with ethno elements and has already aroused great interest among Eurovision fans.
Bosnia and Herzegovina again without a representative
Bosnia and Herzegovina will not participate in Eurovision this year either. BHRT has been facing financial problems and debts to the EBU for years, which is why the country remains out of the competition.
Serbia: Lavina – “Kraj mene”
Serbia will be represented by the progressive metal band Lavina with the song “Kraj mene”, the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest '26. The band brings a slightly harder and more atmospheric sound than usual for the Eurovision Song Contest, which is why they have already attracted the attention of the audience and fans of the genre.
Montenegro: Tamara Živković – “Nova zora”
Montenegro will be represented by Tamara Živković with the song “Nova zora”, which won at Montesong 2025. It is an emotional Balkan ballad with a modern arrangement, with emphasized vocals and atmospheric production.
North Macedonia skips Eurovision again
North Macedonia will not participate in Eurovision 2026 either. Financial difficulties and the cost of participation are again cited as the main reasons.
Bulgaria returns to Eurovision
Bulgaria returns to Eurovision this year after a break. The country will be represented by DARA with the song “Banagaranga”. Bulgaria's return is considered one of the more interesting moments of this year's competition, as the country has often been among the audience favorites in recent years.
