Sarah Engels will represent Germany at Eurovision 2026 with "Fire"

The successor to Abor & Tynna has been selected during the German national selection "Das deutsche Finale 2026".

Once all the votes were in, Sarah Engels emerged as the winner with the song "Fire". They will represent the country on the Eurovision stage in May.

"Fire" was written by Dario Schürmann, Luisa Heinemann, Raphael Lott, Sarah Engels, and Valentin Boes.

Sarah Engels

Sarah Engels became known to a wide audience in 2011 through her successful participation in “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”. Her final single “Call My Name” reached number 2 in the German charts and earned her an Echo nomination. Her 2018 album “Zurück zu mir” marked a turning point, combining personal ballads and modern sounds and achieving further chart success.

Beyond music, she has demonstrated versatility with a second place on “Let’s Dance”, victories on “Das große Promibacken”, “The Masked Singer” and “Dancing on Ice”, as well as work as a presenter, actress and voice actress. Since November 2025, she has played the lead role of Satine in the musical “Moulin Rouge” in Cologne. In August 2025, she released her album “Strong Girls Club”, which includes English-language tracks and centres on empowerment. Her ESC song “Fire” reflects her personal journey and encourages standing up for oneself and following one’s dreams.

– The ESC is a unique stage where people from all over Europe and the world are connected through music. Taking part in the ESC means sharing my empowerment message, which comes deeply from my heart, and conveying courage, solidarity, strength and belief in oneself through my music, Sarah Engels.

Das deutsche Finale 2026

Das deutsche Finale 2026 was Germany's national selection process to find their representing artist for Eurovision 2026.

The show took place in the TV-studio Adlershof in Berlin and was brought to us by German broadcaster, Das Erste. In the first round, the jury picked their three favourites to go on to the superfinal. During the second round, the winner was determined by 100% public vote.

The hosts of Das deutsche Finale 2026 were Barbara Schöneberger and Hazel Brugger.

Germany in Eurovision

Germany is a grand old country in the Eurovision Song Contest. They have participated 68 times since the beginning in 1956.

The only year Germany didn't participate was in 1996. Prior to the competition in 1996, 30 countries had signed up for participation, so the EBU had to make a selection. Judges from the participating countries made a secret vote, where the top-22 songs qualified. During this vote, the judges only listened to, but didn't watch, the contestants. This turned out to be highly unpopular, and it was also the only time this method was used. The result of the vote was that Germany was ruled out. This was the first and only time Germany didn't participate in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Germany's best results are two victories: in 1982 (Nicole - "Ein Bißchen Frieden") and 2010 (Lena - "Satellite"). Their worst results are nine last place finishes. Germany is a member of the "Big-5," which means they don't have to go through the Semi-final round and are automatically qualified for the Grand Final. They are also a member of "Club Nul Points," with zero points in 1964, 1965 and 2015.