JESC 2026: 16 countries confirmed for Malta

 

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Malta's Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) have confirmed the 16 participating broadcasters for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026, set to take place on 24 October at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC) in Ta' Qali.

Young artists aged between 9 and 14 will represent the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Spain and Ukraine.

PBS CEO Keith Chetcuti said it is an honour for the Maltese broadcaster to host Junior Eurovision for the third time, after previously staging the contest in 2014 and 2016. He said the broadcaster looks forward to delivering a world-class production while showcasing the creativity and talent of young performers from across Europe.

The 2026 contest will be broadcast live at 21:00 CEST on Saturday, 24 October.

The EBU also highlighted the success of Junior Eurovision 2025 in Georgia. According to the organisation, last year's contest reached 16 million viewers across 14 measured markets, while attracting millions more through its digital platforms.

The event achieved a 12.9% audience share among children aged 4 to 14—more than double the average for the measured broadcasters—and a 6.1% share among viewers aged 15 to 24. On YouTube, 31.6% of live viewers were under 24, with Poland recording the highest number of viewers, followed by Armenia, Ukraine, Spain and Georgia. Live viewing on YouTube Kids also increased by 19.2% compared with Madrid 2024, reaching a record 101,025 peak concurrent viewers during the winner announcement.

The participating broadcasters are RTSH (Albania), AMPTV (Armenia), CyBC (Cyprus), France Télévisions (France), GPB (Georgia), TG4 (Ireland), Rai (Italy), PBS (Malta), RTCG (Montenegro), AVROTROS (Netherlands), MKRTV (North Macedonia), TVP (Poland), RTP (Portugal), SMRTV (San Marino), RTVE (Spain) and Suspilne (Ukraine).