Vienna Sets Norway Eurovision 2026 Grand Final with 25 Songs
norway eurovision 2026 reaches its decisive night on Saturday 16 May, when the Grand Final lands at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna at 21:00 CEST with 25 songs competing. The broadcast will go live across all 35 participating broadcasters, while viewers in non-participating countries can still follow the show through Eurovision’s YouTube channel.
Vienna, 16 May, 21:00 CEST
“We’ll be waiting for you at the Wiener Stadthalle in the Austrian capital on Saturday 16 May at 21:00 CEST.” That line sets the schedule in plain terms: the contest’s live closing event is fixed, the venue is booked, and the running order is already decided in the early hours after Thursday night’s Second Semi-Final.
The final field is down to 25 songs after the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 12 May and the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 14 May. That gives broadcasters and viewers a complete last-night lineup rather than a rolling competition, with the field narrowed from the 35 countries that took part in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest.
35 broadcasters, one live show
The contest’s reach is broader than the venue itself: all 35 participating broadcasters will air the Grand Final live on TV. For viewers in non-participating nations, the Live Show is available on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel, and US viewers can also stream it via Peacock.
US audiences get another route too. They can stream the show live on the Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel for the first time in nearly a decade, a useful shift for anyone who has been shut out of previous live access outside a platform deal.
JJ, Basel 2025, and the handoff
JJ lifted the trophy at Basel 2025, and the new final is built around that handoff from one winner to the next. Eurovision’s own guide leans into that changeover with the line, “And we can’t wait to find out who will be his successor!”
That succession setup is the real business of the night: one winner leaves Vienna with the trophy, and the rest of the field gets a single live shot to replace JJ on the list of champions. Viewers outside participating countries can back their favourites with the Rest of the World vote, with 10 votes allowed per person, which makes the final a live test of audience support as much as a television event.
Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski will appear from the Green Room, keeping the show tied to the live competition rather than turning it into a studio-only broadcast. For viewers, the practical move is simple: mark Saturday 16 May at 21:00 CEST, pick a platform, and be ready before the voting window closes around the last song.
