Austria’s national broadcaster ORF has announced that Cesár Sampson, the Eurovision 2018 finalist, will join Alice Tumler as co-host of the national selection show «Vienna Calling — Wer singt für Österreich?», through which the country will choose its representative for Eurovision 2026.

This is not Sampson’s first experience with the contest. In 2018, he represented Austria with the song «Nobody But You» and achieved third place. This time, the artist will also be involved behind the scenes as one of three «scouts» responsible for discovering new performers and songs for the show’s revamped format.

According to ORF, more than 400 songs have been submitted, most of them written in German or local dialects. A special jury is currently reviewing the entries and will invite 24 artists and bands to the live auditions scheduled for November. From these, 12 finalists will advance to the grand final.

The final of «Vienna Calling — Wer singt für Österreich?» will take place on February 20, broadcast live on ORF 1. During the show, the winner will be determined through a combined jury and public vote, deciding who will represent Austria at Eurovision 2026.

As a reminder, next year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Vienna, following Austria’s victory in 2025 with Jay Jay’s performance of «Wasted Love.»

It was the country’s third win in Eurovision history, after triumphs in 1966 and 2014. The song received the maximum 12 points from eight countries — including Belgium, Germany, Sweden, and Norway — marking Austria’s brilliant return to the top of the competition.

Photo: Instagram @cesarsampson