Romania returns to Eurovision 2026 in Vienna
After a two-year absence, Televiziunea Română (TVR) has announced that the country will take part in the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, with a renewed strategy and stronger collaboration with the music industry
Romania is set to return to the Eurovision Song Contest stage in 2026. On 30 October 2025 the TVR Board approved participation in the 70th edition of Eurovision, to be held in Vienna, Austria.
In recent years, the outcome was more challenging: in 2023 Romania’s entry failed to qualify for the Final and scored zero points in its Semi-final. The broadcaster then skipped participation in 2024, citing financial and organizational constraints.
TVR’s President-Director General, Dan-Cristian Turturică, says that the two-year break helped the broadcaster understand what needed to change:
– We proposed Romania’s return to the Eurovision Song Contest because, during the two years of absence, we had the time to better understand what did not work in the relationship between TVR, the music industry, and creators. We learned what we must change on our side to have a more competitive selection process, and a show that matches the scale of the contest so we can consistently improve the quality of our presence in the final stage.
He adds that the comeback is a joint effort involving many partners:
– Because participation in Eurovision is a team effort, we spent a lot of time aligning the expectations and efforts of all those who must collaborate to ensure that Romania has the best possible representation. We also appreciate the understanding shown by the European Broadcasting Union, which adapted its invitation for TVR to return to the contest taking into account the challenges our institution is facing.
Turturică concluded that TVR’s participation also aims to strengthen the national music industry:
– With today’s decision, TVR reaffirms its commitment to supporting Romanian artists, valuing the creative potential of the music industry, and promoting Romania on one of the most prestigious international stages.
TVR has not yet revealed how Romania’s entry will be selected. More details about the national selection process are expected in the coming months.
Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Romania had its debut in 1994, and has participated 23 times since. They have never won the contest, but came in 3rd in 2005 (Luminita Anghel & Sistem - "Let Me Try") and 2010 (Paula Seling & Ovi - "Playing With Fire"). Their worst result was in 2023 where they finished with zero points in their semi-final.
Since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004, Romania has qualified for the Grand Final 14 out of 18 times.
