Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Unlike the Eurovision Song Contest, the winning broadcaster of the previous year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest does not automatically receive the right to host the next edition. However, since (with the exceptions of , , and ) it has become customary for winners to take on hosting duties, and since , the winning broadcaster has had the right of first refusal on hosting the following competition. On 18 December 2025, French broadcaster , which won the , announced that it had opted not to host in 2026, citing a plan to reduce the costs of national programming; this marked its second refusal to stage the event in a three-year span, having also done so in 2024. A bidding phase was reportedly held for the first time since 2018 in order to identify the host country. In December 2025, Sammarinese broadcaster SMRTV announced that it would submit a bid to host the event; however, on 7 March 2026, its director Roberto Sergio stated that the application had not been selected and that the contest would be held in North Macedonia. Macedonian media outlet Prv.mk has reported Skopje as the host city. An official confirmation is pending. == Provisional list of participants ==

Eligibility for participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting the contest live nationwide. The EBU issues an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members. , broadcasters from the following countries have publicly confirmed their intent to participate in the 2026 contest: } Other countries • Following their return to the contest in 2025, Croatian broadcaster HRT is currently examining whether or not it will participate in 2026, pending an official announcement. • Sammarinese broadcaster SMRTV had placed a bid to host the event, An official confirmation of participation on RTVE's part is pending. Active EBU member broadcasters in , (VRT), , , , , Germany, , , , , , , and , alongside associate member (SBS), have confirmed non-participation prior to the announcement of the participants list by the EBU. == See also ==