After JJ's triumph, Austria must promote a Eurovision “symbol of unity”

“In 2026, the seventieth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Austria,” Die Presse points out . By winning Eurovision 2025 with the song Wasted Love, the Austrian-Filipino singer JJ (real name Johannes Pietsch) “put on a magical performance greeted with cheers,” reads the front page of the May 19 edition of the Viennese newspaper. He followed in the footsteps of Udo Jürgens and Conchita Wurst and enabled the Alpine republic to win the music competition for the third time in its history.

But JJ didn't just bring glory to his country. His performance was more of a "sensational victory that will have consequences." Not least financially. Österreichische Rundfunk (ORF), the Austrian public broadcaster, will now have to take over from its Swiss counterpart and organize the famous European competition in 2026.

“In the coming weeks, several questions will be debated: Where exactly will the competition be held? In Vienna, Innsbruck, or Oberwart? And above all: how? How can such an event – ​​for which the broadcaster must pay at least 30 million euros – be financed in this period of austerity for ORF?”

Even though these new responsibilities risk causing tensions in Austria, Die Presse chooses to celebrate. “The seventieth edition of the music competition is in itself an opportunity to remember when and why Eurovision was created: as a symbol of unity after the Second World War .” In these troubled times, it is encouraging to see millions of viewers watching a shared cultural event at the same time. It is a “highlight.”

In this context, the conservative daily calls for no country to be excluded from the competition, whether Israel or Russia. “Cultural boycotts are rarely a wise long-term decision,” it argues. “ By maintaining bridges between cultures, we often make possible ultimate direct encounters between people who don't think the same thing, but who can come together on a level where blood isn't shed.”