Proposals have already been put forth by the Committee of the Regions.
In a significant shift for German Eurovision history, the Südwestrundfunk (SWR) has been chosen to organise the music spectacle for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in 2026. This marks the first time that SWR will be responsible for the preliminary round, as the ARD takes over from the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) who had been in charge of the ESC format for decades.
Last year, the sibling duo Abor & Tynna emerged as the winners from the ESC preliminary round led by Raab in 2025. However, the ARD has decided not to cooperate with RTL or Stefan Raab for the ESC preliminary round 2026, and Raab's channel RTL will not be part of the German preliminary round for the ESC next year.
The German preliminary round in 2026 will not follow the casting show format with several songs. Instead, there will be only one preliminary round in the first channel, planned as a single live broadcast on the main ARD channel. This new approach signifies a fresh start for the selection process, with SWR managing artist and song selection independently for 2026.
Stefan Raab, who built a successful image in German ESC history, achieved fifth place in the ESC in 1998 with his own song "Wadde hatte dudde da?" and was also instrumental in the selection of Lena Meyer-Landrut, who brought Germany its first ESC victory since 1982. Raab had a significant role in the German ESC history, but he largely withdrew from the public eye in 2015 and only returned in September 2024.
Despite Raab announcing the victory as the goal, the siblings only reached 15th place in the ESC. However, Raab was reintegrated into the German ESC selection process in 2025 to improve Germany's chances of success, and his involvement led to the victory of the sibling duo Abor & Tynna.
The next ESC will take place in May 2026 in Vienna. The Southwest Broadcasting Corporation (SWR) will be responsible for the German preliminary round for the first time, and the preliminary round will be broadcast at the end of February in the first channel. The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 preselection, previously held by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), will likely be taken over solely by the SWR (Südwestrundfunk) under the ARD umbrella.
Guildo Horn, who finished seventh in the ESC in 1998 with a song composed by Raab, will be watching with anticipation to see how the new approach will unfold. The SWR's management of the artist and song selection process for 2026 promises to bring a fresh and exciting energy to the German Eurovision journey.
