The city of Vienna is set to invest €22.6 million in next year’s Eurovision event.
According to ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, Vienna will allocate up to €22.6 million for the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Vienna’s mayor, Michael Ludwig, expects the investment to generate significantly more value than the amount spent.
Most of the funding will go towards financing the venue and ensuring security. In an interview with Wien Heute, the mayor explained the decision.
We have closely analysed the economic impact of the 2015 event. At that time, the investment was around €17 million, but the resulting added value amounted to approximately €28 million. I expect a similar outcome for next year.
Ludwig also emphasized the benefits of national promotion, stating that while Vienna should be in the spotlight, the city also aims to showcase other Austrian federal states to the world during the contest. He expressed his conviction that this exposure can have a positive impact on those regions as well.
The exact economic benefit remains uncertain, but recent analyses by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) offer some context: Liverpool earned about €66 million from hosting the competition in 2023, Malmö generated approximately €40 million, and Basel was forecasted to make a profit of €64 million.
The mayor highlighted some logistical advantages of hosting the contest in Vienna, including the city’s ample hotel capacity and good international connections.
Vienna is an attractive destination for night trains and flights, accessible from 65 countries via direct connections. We also have 433 hotels in the city, offering a total of 82,000 beds across all categories.
Ludwig announced that numerous free events will be organized for fans starting on May 12, 2026.
Fans will have plenty of opportunities to follow the contest. Rathausplatz was highly successful in 2015; its central location allows visitors to enjoy many additional city attractions. It will definitely be one of the main locations for public viewing.
Eurovision 2026
As announced earlier today, the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Vienna following JJ’s victory for Austria with “Wasted Love” in Basel. Both semi-finals are scheduled for May 12 and 14, while the Grand Final will take place on May 16. The contest will be hosted at the Wiener Stadthalle, the same venue used in 2015, which can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators.
Image source: Thomas Ledl/Wikimedia | Source: ORF
Austria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. Bob Martin represented the country on their debut but finished in last place scoring just 3 points. Austria has won the contest three times, the first being in 1966 when Udo Jürgens performed “Merci, Cherie”. It was 48 years later when Austria won again in 2014, when Conchita Wurst performed “Rise Like a Phoenix”, scoring a total of 290 points. Austria’s third win came in 2025, when JJ sang “Wasted Love” and scored 436 points.
