Road to Rotterdam: Albania

It’s Tuesday, October 28, 2025, and time for another weekly Eurovision update! This week brings national selection news from across Europe and a heated debate over Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026. Ukraine’s broadcaster faces a legal threat over Vidbir rules, Germany wraps up its song submission phase, and several countries unveil plans for choosing their next Eurovision acts. Meanwhile, Austrian officials are speaking out strongly against any boycott of Israel. Here are this week’s top stories: National finals 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Broadcaster Stands Firm on Vidbir Rules Amid Lawsuit Threat Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne has refused to alter its Eurovision selection rules despite pressure from a major pop star. Singer Olya Polyakova’s team appealed to the EBU and Suspilne, demanding a rule change. Otherwise “an inevitable lawsuit… could lead to even bigger scandals,” her producer Mykhailo Yasinskyi warned. The dispute centers on a policy barring artists who performed in Russia-occupied Crimea, Russia (after March 2014) or Belarus (after Feb 2022) from entering Vidbir 2026. Polyakova, who last performed in Russia in 2015, is thus ineligible under current rules. Suspilne flatly rejected her appeal, noting the selection process already began in September. Despite the controversy, Vidbir 2026 preparations continue with Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala as music producer, and the national final set for February. source: unn.ua and Suspilne 📷 Jamala, Andres Putting EBU 🇩🇪 Germany: Eurovision 2026 Song Submissions Window Closes Germany has closed the song submission period for its Eurovision 2026 selection. October 22 was the last day for artists and songwriters to send entries to broadcaster SWR. The German selection will now move into a multi-stage review process. In the first round, SWR’s editorial team evaluates each submission based on “artistic and vocal quality”. Next, international jurors and a sample of European viewers will listen and vote, simulating Eurovision’s scoring. Their input will produce a shortlist of acts, from which the final contestants will be chosen. Germany’s national final is planned for late February 2026, broadcast live on Das Erste. The eventual winner will go on to represent Germany at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. source: eurovoix.com 🇸🇲 San Marino: New “San Marino Song Contest” Format & March 7 Final The microstate of San Marino has announced an overhauled national selection format for Eurovision. Broadcaster SMRTV will hold a “San Marino Song Contest” with a format mirroring Eurovision itself. There will be two semi-finals on March 3 and 4, leading to a Grand Final on March 7, 2026. A total of 40 emerging artists, sourced from the parallel “Dreaming San Marino Song Contest” talent project, will compete in the semi-finals. Only 10 of them will advance to the final. They’ll join 10 pre-qualified established artists. In the March 7 final, these 20 acts will battle for the ticket to Eurovision 2026. The winner of San Marino’s contest will represent the country in Vienna next May. This marks a significant change from previous years’ formats, aiming to give new talent a chance alongside bigger names.  source: dreamingsanmarinosongcontest and SMRTV 🇱🇺 Luxembourg: 58 Hopefuls Audition for Eurovision Comeback Luxembourg’s quest for its next Eurovision entrant is in full swing with live auditions. From October 24–26, 58 candidates took part in auditions at RTL studios, vying for a spot in the Luxembourg Song Contest 2026. The aspiring acts had to meet at least one of three criteria: hold Luxembourgish nationality, reside in Luxembourg for 3+ months, or have a strong link to the nation’s music scene. The 58 contestants hail from 17 different cultural backgrounds. An international jury is evaluating the performances during the auditions, which feature 83 songs across six languages. 59% in English, plus French, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, Spanish, and German. The jury will select the best acts to advance to the televised final. The national final will be held on January 24, 2026 at the Rockhal arena, where one lucky artist will earn the ticket to Eurovision in Vienna. source: eurovision.rtl.lu. 🇲🇪 Montenegro: Songwriting Teams Revealed for MonteSong 2025 This week RTCG published the list of composers, lyricists, and arrangers for each of the 15 songs competing in MonteSong 2025. The lineup showcases a broad range of talent and international collaboration. Several local Montenegrin songwriters are joined by contributors from elsewhere in Europe and even the United States. For example, former Eurovision entrant Andrea Demirović returns as a co-writer of her song “I Believe,” teaming up with American songwriter Casey McQuillen. Other entries feature songwriting teams blending domestic and foreign talent, highlighting Montenegro’s openness to global influences in its music. MonteSong 2025 will feature 15 artists (previously announced by RTCG) performing original songs on December 21, 2025. By unveiling the creative teams now, RTCG is building anticipation and giving credit to the people behind the music. The national final’s winning song and artist will represent Montenegro at Eurovision 2026. source: RTCG 📷 Andrea Demirović 🇦🇱 Albania: Festivali i Këngës 64 Song Details Unveiled on Instagram In Albania, preparations for the 64th Festivali i Këngës are well underway. This week, the titles, genres, and songwriting credits of six competing songs were published. Among them are 2Farm’s song “Valle mbi hi” (Dance on the Ashes), an alternative track the band wrote and composed themselves, and Evi Reçi’s “Code of Life,” described as a modern ethno-EDM song. Notably, one of the revealed songwriters is Beatriçe Gjergji, who gave Albania a Top-10 finish at Eurovision 2025 with “Zjerm”. She returns as the lyricist-composer of the entry “Okej!” by newcomer Ghiti. In total, 28 artists will compete at Festivali i Këngës 64 in Tirana from December 17–20, 2025. RTSH has confirmed a revamped voting system. The FiK winner will be decided by 50% jury vote, 25% public televote and 25% international voting via the new “FiK” app.  Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest Austria: ORF and Government Reject Calls to Boycott Israel As the host country for Eurovision 2026, Austria is grappling with political pressure over Israel’s participation. In recent weeks, officials in some countries (including Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland) threatened to