{"id":431716,"date":"2025-09-17T17:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/431716\/"},"modified":"2025-09-17T17:48:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T17:48:17","slug":"germany-to-choose-eurovision-2026-act-through-national-final-in-february-without-stefan-raab-and-rtl-eurovision-news-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/431716\/","title":{"rendered":"Germany to Choose Eurovision 2026 Act Through National Final in February \u2013 Without Stefan Raab and RTL – Eurovision News | Music"},"content":{"rendered":"

Germany<\/strong> has confirmed that its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna will once again be selected through a televised national final<\/strong>, scheduled for late February in prime time on ARD. The announcement, revealed in an industry communication from GEMA to its members, outlines the framework of the upcoming selection \u2013 and makes it clear that neither RTL nor Stefan Raab will be involved.<\/p>\n

This effectively means the short-lived \u201cChefsache\u201d format, introduced last season, has already come to an end. Instead, ARD and SWR will be leading the project independently, signaling a desire to establish their own identity in Germany\u2019s Eurovision journey.<\/p>\n

A Focus on International Potential<\/p>\n

According to the call for submissions, the organizers are looking for songs with strong international appeal<\/strong> \u2013 entries capable of making an impact not only at Eurovision but also in the wider music market. Alongside compelling music, the search emphasizes artists with both the talent and the charisma to sustain a career beyond the contest.<\/p>\n

The submission window for artists and songwriters is already open and will remain so until October 22. Unlike a casting show format, the German broadcaster emphasizes that the process is intended as a fair competition built on mutual respect between artists and stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of finding the strongest possible entry for Germany.<\/p>\n

How the Selection Will Work<\/p>\n

The process will unfold in several stages:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Initial review<\/strong> \u2013 All submissions will be evaluated by the ESC editorial team on artistic quality, vocal strength, stage presence, and media experience.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    International testing<\/strong> \u2013 Entries that pass this first round will enter an \u201cartist-song pool,\u201d where they will be tested in an international market research study designed to simulate Eurovision conditions. Acts will be assessed by panels of experts as well as general music fans across Europe.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Shortlist & final show<\/strong> \u2013 Based on these results, a shortlist will be drawn up. Those selected will compete in Germany\u2019s televised national final, scheduled for the end of February 2026.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The final will be a one-night event, without semifinals, where the German public and an international expert jury<\/strong> will together decide who will represent the country in Vienna.<\/p>\n

    Building Towards Eurovision 2026<\/p>\n

    Germany\u2019s approach this time underlines a commitment to professionalism, collaboration, and long-term artistic development. As the SWR put it in its call:<\/p>\n

    \n

    It\u2019s not about casting, but about a fair, friendly competition. Respect for creativity is the foundation. Together, we want to find the best possible entry for Germany at Eurovision 2026.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    With preparations now underway, all eyes will be on Germany in February to see which act will follow Abor & Tynna and carry the German flag to Vienna.<\/p>\n

    Source<\/strong>: ESC kompakt<\/a><\/p>\n

    Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for further updates!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Germany has confirmed that its representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna will once again be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431717,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5310],"tags":[2000,299,60803,1824,146861],"class_list":{"0":"post-431716","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-germany","8":"tag-eu","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-eurovision-2026","11":"tag-germany","12":"tag-national-selection"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115220899798418398","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431716","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431716"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431716\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}