This afternoon, the EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, announced the participating countries for the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, in Ta’ Qali.

The EBU have confirmed that sixteen countries will be participating in Ta’ Qali. Following the 2025 edition in Tbilisi, Azerbaijan and Croatia will not participate. There will also be no debutants or returnees in Ta’ Qali. The sixteen participating countries and their broadcasters are:

• 🇦🇱 – Albania (RTSH)
• 🇦🇲 – Armenia (AMPTV)
• 🇨🇾 – Cyprus (CyBC)
• 🇫🇷 – France (France Télévisions)
• 🇬🇪 – Georgia (GPB)
• 🇮🇪 – Ireland (TG4)
• 🇮🇹 – Italy (Rai)
• 🇲🇹 – Malta (PBS)
• 🇲🇪 – Montenegro (RTCG)
• 🇳🇱 – Netherlands (AVROTROS)
• 🇲🇰 – North Macedonia (MRT)
• 🇵🇱 – Poland (TVP)
• 🇵🇹 – Portugal (RTP)
• 🇸🇲 – San Marino (SMRTV)
• 🇪🇸 – Spain (RTVE)
• 🇺🇦 – Ukraine (Suspilne)

Martin Green CBE, Director of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, had the following to say:

“We are delighted to welcome 16 talented young artists to Malta, backed by their public service broadcasters. The Junior Eurovision Song Contest showcases creativity and through music, fosters international understanding and underlines our commitment to uncovering the next generation of music talent. We thank PBS for the hard work they’re undertaking to create an excellent and memorable show, and we cannot wait to share it with everyone in October.”

Keith Chetcuti, CEO of PBS, had the following to add:

“PBS is honoured to host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest for the third time and to welcome 16 talented young performers to Malta. This event celebrates creativity, music and the remarkable talent of young artists from across Europe. We look forward to delivering a world-class production that creates lasting memories for everyone taking part and for viewers at home.”

The 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest will take place at 21:00 CET, on Saturday 24th October, live from the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta’ Qali, Malta. The EBU have also launched a new official website, which can be found HERE.

Let us know what you think about the 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: EBU