Main points
- Ruslana and Verka Serdyuchka will perform in the Eurovision 2026 grand final in Vienna.
- 35 countries will participate in the competition, while Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland have announced a boycott.
Ruslana, Verka Serduchka / Channel 24 Collage
Vienna is preparing to host the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The grand final will feature past favorites, including two Ukrainian artists.
This was reported on the Eurovision website.
Australian broadcaster ORF has unveiled a lavish list of stars who will perform as part of the special interval act “Celebration! – The Best Reunion of All Eurovision Stars.”
In particular, the artists who represented Ukraine at the international song contest will take to the stage – the winner of Eurovision-2004 Ruslana , who set Istanbul ablaze with the song “Wild Dances”, and Verka Serdyuchka , who took second place with the hit Dancing Lasha Tumbai in 2007.
Other guest stars include:
- Alexander Rybak (Norway, 2009, 1st place)
- Erika Wickman (Finland, 2025, 11th place)
- Christian Kostov (Bulgaria, 2007, 2nd place)
- Lordi (Finland, 2006, 1st place)
- Max Mutzke (Germany, 2004, 8th place)
- Miriana Conte (Malta, 2025, 17th place)
The organizers also announced that the first semi-final will be opened by Greek singer Vicky Leandros , who won Eurovision in 1972. She will present a new version of the hit L'amour Est Bleu. It was with this song that the artist represented Luxembourg at the 1967 song contest and took 4th place.
Vicky Leandros – L'amour Est Bleu: watch the video online
We would like to remind you that the first and second semi-finals of Eurovision 2026 will take place on May 12 and 14 , respectively, and the grand final is scheduled for May 16. The show will take place at the Wiener Stadthalle arena.
The contest will feature 35 countries, including the returning Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania, but Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland have boycotted after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) admitted Israel.
This year, the hosts are singer Victoria Swarovski and actor Michael Ostrovsky. According to bookmakers' forecasts available on the eurovisionworld website, Finland, Greece, and Denmark currently have the best chances of winning.
Ukraine at Eurovision 2026: the main thing
Ukraine will be represented by LELÉKA with the song Ridnym at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. The singer has already arrived in Vienna and will perform in the second semi-final on May 14 at number 12. Bookmakers are currently predicting her to place 10th.
The show will traditionally be broadcast by Suspilne on all its platforms. It will be commented by the unchanged Timur Miroshnychenko. In the first semi-final, he will be joined by stand-up comedian Vasyl Baydak, in the second by singer Svitlana Tarabarova, and in the grand finale by rapper Alyona Alyona.
The scores from the Ukrainian national jury during the grand final will be announced by Ziferblat band soloist Daniil Leshchynsky.