National selection for Eurovision 2026 – predictions, scandals and everything we know

Main points

• Scandals surrounding the National Selection include a conflict with Olea Polyakova over the rules of participation and suspicions of Valeriya Force's collaboration with Russian musicians.
• The final of the National Selection-2026 will take place on February 7 with a new stage design, and the slogan of the competition is “Be Unique”.

National selection for Eurovision 2026 / Photo Suspilne

The final of the National Selection for Eurovision is just around the corner. Judges and viewers will vote to choose which Ukrainian artists will travel to Vienna for the 70th anniversary contest.

• 1 Scandal with Polyakova and suspicion of collaboration with a Russian
• 2 Who made it to the top ten participants of the National Selection?
• 3 Where and when to watch the National Selection for Eurovision 2026?
• 4 Who is predicted to win the National Selection?
• 5 Key Facts About Eurovision 2026

Preparations for this year's National Selection began calmly. Jamala, who won Eurovision for Ukraine in 2016, became a music producer and immediately announced that she would take the selection of participants very seriously and responsibly. But as a result, a loud scandal broke out, which was supposed to end in court. 24 Channel will tell you everything you need to know about the National Selection 2026.

Scandal with Polyakova and suspicion of collaboration with a Russian

It all started with the singer deciding to also apply for the competition. She sent a letter to the Public to update some of the rules. The point is that Ukraine cannot be represented by artists who performed in Russia or the occupied Crimea after 2014. Olya Polyakova was the host of one of the Russian events with Putinist Baskov in 2015, so she cannot take part in the selection.

Olya Polyakova / Photo from the artist's Instagram

The public broadcaster responded that the rules of the National Selection will not be changed, as it is already underway.

Over the course of 11 years, some people's perception of the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war may have changed. The public appreciates the contribution of each and every person to supporting the Ukrainian army and developing Ukrainian culture. At the same time, the date of the beginning of the war is immutable – it cannot be “moved” due to personal history or merits,
– the broadcaster emphasizes.

But Polyakova was not satisfied with this answer, so she filed a complaint against the Public Broadcasting Union with the European Broadcasting Union. In addition, the singer also filed documents with the court.

In December last year, the singer's producer, Mykhailo Yasinsky, stated that he considered rule 4.6 discriminatory and proposed changes that would maintain the ban on cooperation with Russia after February 24, 2022, taking into account individual circumstances before that date.

The Public expressed its willingness to discuss changes to the rules of the National Selection for Eurovision after 2026, but not to change the current rules for selection.

But when there was a lull with Polyakova, Valeriya Force (aka Valeria Simulyk) “shot” at her. The girl became a participant in the National Selection, but she was suspected of collaborating with the Russians.

In 2024, Valeriya Force released the album My Dark Side. Information about the album was published on his page by D.Woo, a Russian sound engineer who lives in the aggressor country and writes songs for other Russians. Among them is Lyosha Svik, who supports Putin.

Valeriya Force could have collaborated with a Russian / Screenshot from Bogdan Bespalov's telegram

This post is now gone from the sound engineer's page. Later, screenshots were published where Valeria liked the Russian woman's posts and also subscribed to other artists from the aggressor country.

Then Simulyk came out with a statement that it was the producers who made decisions regarding digital promotion, distribution, mixing, and mastering, and emphasized that she was not responsible for these responsibilities.

My responsibility was exclusively creative. I did not work in Russia, the aggressor country, and I did not release music for that market,
– she emphasized.

She also added that since 2025 she has been performing as Valeriya Force, is an artist for an American label, and collaborates only with sound producer Vinny Venditto.

Public Broadcasting stated that Valeriya Force's possible collaboration with a Russian sound engineer does not violate the rules of the National Selection for Eurovision.

Who made it to the top ten participants of the National Selection?

The list of finalists for the 2026 National Selection is as follows:

• Jerry Heil;
• LAUD;
• LELÉKA;
• YOUNG;
• Monokate;
• Mr. Vel;
• The Elliens;
• Valeriya Force;
• “PikeFish”;
• KHAYAT (this artist was chosen by Ukrainians through voting in the Diya application).

The organizers shared a mock-up of the National Selection stage on social media. This year, they have deviated from the usual style. The judges will be placed on the side of the stage, abandoning the usual large table. The finalists will sit on a special balcony. In addition, the stage will be brightly lit with lighting effects, and a large multimedia screen will be placed in the center.

Where and when to watch the National Selection for Eurovision 2026?

The show will be broadcast on the Suspilne.Kultura TV channel on February 7, 2026. In addition to the fact that during the broadcast a performer will be chosen who will represent Ukraine on the international singing arena, Suspilne Movlennia, together with the Superhumans Center, is organizing a fundraiser for prosthetics for veterans as part of the show.

The slogan of the National Selection for Eurovision-2026 is “Be Unique”. Lesya Nikityuk and Timur Miroshnychenko will be the hosts. Anna Tuleva will be the host of the Eurofans zone and will also host the pre-show.

Who is predicted to win the National Selection?

A fan poll regarding Ukraine's National Selection for Eurovision 2026 has appeared on the Eurovision World website. Jerry Heil takes first place with the song CATHARTICUS (prayer).

But according to Eurofans, other finalists also have a good chance. For example, Monokate took second place on the list, and LELEKA entered the top three favorites.

Rating of the finalists of the National Selection according to Euro fans / Screenshot from the website

Previously, the finalists of the National Selection for Eurovision-2026 were rated in the My Eurovision Scoreboard application. Monokate was leading the rating – it was she who was predicted to win.

The main thing about Eurovision 2026

• This year, the Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by the Austrian capital, Vienna. The competition will be held at the Wiener Stadthalle arena.

• The first two semi-finals are scheduled for May 12 and 14, respectively, and the grand final is scheduled for May 16.

• There have been some changes in the competition. The semi-finals will again take into account the opinion of the jury, and the number of judges will increase from 5 to 7. Artists have been banned from participating in advertising campaigns and promotions that could affect the result.

• Ukraine will perform in the second half of the second semi-final.

• Israel's participation in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest was in doubt. Many artists and fans called on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to disqualify the country due to the war with Hamas in Gaza. However, in early December 2025, the EBU did allow Israel to participate in Eurovision 2026. Because of this, several countries boycotted the contest: Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland.