Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
| Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | Czech Television (ČT) | |||
| Country |  Czech Republic | |||
| Selection process | Internal selection | |||
| Announcement date | Artist: 8 March 2026 Song: 11 March 2026 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Crossroads" | |||
| Artist | Daniel Zizka | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Placement | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (9th, 142 points) | |||
| Final result | 16th, 113 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Czech Republic, presented as Czechia, was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "Crossroads", written by Daniel Žižka and Viliam Béreš, and performed by Žižka himself, with his last name stylised without diacritics. The Czech participating broadcaster, Czech Television (ČT), internally selected its entry for the contest.
Background
[edit]Prior to the 2026 contest, Czech Television (ČT) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing the Czech Republic, presented as Czechia since 2023, thirteen times since its first entry in 2007. Its best result in the contest was sixth, achieved in 2018 with the song "Lie to Me" performed by Mikolas Josef. It competed in the contest on three consecutive occasions between 2007 and 2009 without qualifying to the final, after which ČT withdrew between 2010 and 2014, citing low viewing figures and poor results as reasons for its absence.[1] Since returning to the contest in 2015, the Czech Republic has thus far managed to qualify for the final on five occasions. In 2025, "Kiss Kiss Goodbye" performed by Adonxs failed to qualify for the final.[2]
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, ČT organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster had used both national finals and internal selections to select its entries in the past. Between 2018 and 2020, and between 2022 and 2024, the national final format ESCZ (formerly titled Eurovision Song CZ) was used as the selection method, while in 2021 and 2025, the Czech entry was internally selected.[3] ČT confirmed its intention to participate in the 2026 contest on 3 September 2025, announcing that it would continue to internally select its entry.[4]
Before Eurovision
[edit]Internal selection
[edit]ČT announced in September 2025 that the Czech entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 would be selected internally. Artists and composers were able to submit their proposals to the broadcaster between 3 September 2025 and 19 October 2025.[5] At least one of the main performers was required to either have Czech citizenship, be based in the Czech Republic, or be active on the Czech music scene. Songwriters of any nationality were able to submit songs, and were not required to indicate a performer for their song, who would be selected afterwards.[6][7] The broadcaster received over 260 submissions at the closing of the deadline, and it was announced in December 2025 that eight entries had been shortlisted.[8][9]
On 8 March 2026, "Crossroads" performed by Daniel Zizka was announced by ČT as the Czech entry for the 2026 contest.[10][11] The selection of Žižka and the song, written together with Viliam Béreš, was determined by the combination of votes from an international jury of music professionals and a demoscopic jury composed of members from three countries following an audition round at the ČT studios, and was presented to the public on 11 March alongside an accompanying music video.[11][12]
The songwriting process for "Crossroads" took approximately a year and a half and after this period it took a further six months to produce the song.[13][14] When asked whether he kept revisiting the song during this period that he was writing it, Žižka responded "Yes... ...there was so many versions. First, I had the initial like riff or the motif that kind of led the songwriting process on and, uh I wanted to have it, this like, major to minor tonality. Uh, so I kept exploring with the harmony and I felt like there was so many options, too many ways. Uh, and then some lyrics started popping up and then it kind of just happened...".[13]
At Eurovision
[edit]
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 12 January 2026, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country performed in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.[15] Czechia was scheduled for the first half of the second semi-final.[16] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Czechia was set to perform in position 5.[17]
On 14 May, "Crossroads" qualified for the final, being the last qualifier announced.[18]
Technical issues
[edit]During the Grand Final performance, in which Žižka finished in 16 place out of 25 finalists, technical problems occurred. The Czech delegation subsequently filed a complaint with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) during the competition and requested a repeat performance due to the technical issues. However, the EBU stated that the incident was only a minor technical problem which, according to the organisers, did not significantly affect the competition, and a repeat performance was therefore not permitted.[19]
Performance
[edit]The song explores the idea of what happens when a person is standing "...at an imaginary crossroads and must choose a further path."[14] and this theme is reflected in the stage performance which builds on ideas of reflection, illusion, and fragmentation.[20][21] The staging is directed by Ruy Okamura, who also directed the music video for crossroads,[14] and it includes four large movable mirror panels which create constantly changing perspectives on stage, symbolising the different paths and possible outcomes of one's decisions.[14][21] The repeated reflections of the singer further emphasise the song's introspective atmosphere and the uncertainty tied to moments of choice.[22][21] When asked "What are you seeing in these mirrors?"[20] Žižka responded "So in these mirrors, we're seeing a lot of like choices, many possible realities, maybe something that can feel overwhelming. You don't know which way to go, many options in life... ...I think it does like a great illusion of like, we don't really know where we're looking at...".[20]
Žižka wears a wrinkled blue shirt, dark trousers, and performs barefoot.[23] His performance in the final was affected by several technical issues: at one point, the image became grainy and froze, and at another, the camera operator was visible after apparently falling over. The Czech delegation submitted a request to perform again but was denied.[24][25]
Voting
[edit]Points awarded to Czechia
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Points awarded by Czechia
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Detailed voting results
[edit]Each participating broadcaster assembles a seven-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent and two of which have to be between 18 and 25 years old. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.[28] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
The following members comprised the Czech jury:[27]
- Jan Ponocný
- Mirek Kosík
- Čeněk Chleboun
- Alena Shirmanova-Kostebelova (represented Czechia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024)
- Hana Petřinová
- Nicole Madi
| R/O | Country | Jury | Televote | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Juror F | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 |  Bulgaria | 5 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 02 |  Azerbaijan | 8 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 14 | ||
| 03 |  Romania | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 12 |
| 04 |  Luxembourg | 14 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 1 | |
| 05 | Czechia | ||||||||||
| 06 |  Armenia | 10 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 11 | ||
| 07 |  Switzerland | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| 08 |  Cyprus | 13 | 6 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 12 | ||
| 09 |  Latvia | 6 | 13 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 13 | |
| 10 |  Denmark | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| 11 |  Australia | 9 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| 12 |  Ukraine | 4 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| 13 |  Albania | 12 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 14 |  Malta | 11 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 2 |
| 15 |  Norway | 2 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 7 |
| R/O | Country | Jury | Televote | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juror A | Juror B | Juror C | Juror D | Juror E | Juror F | Rank | Points | Rank | Points | ||
| 01 | Denmark | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| 02 |  Germany | 17 | 24 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 24 | ||
| 03 |  Israel | 9 | 21 | 8 | 24 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| 04 |  Belgium | 15 | 14 | 20 | 20 | 9 | 23 | 19 | 23 | ||
| 05 | Albania | 21 | 12 | 23 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 11 | ||
| 06 |  Greece | 22 | 18 | 13 | 22 | 17 | 12 | 20 | 5 | 6 | |
| 07 | Ukraine | 12 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 24 | 14 | 1 | 12 | |
| 08 | Australia | 6 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 12 | |
| 09 |  Serbia | 13 | 4 | 17 | 8 | 23 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 2 | |
| 10 | Malta | 11 | 6 | 19 | 11 | 4 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 18 | |
| 11 | Czechia | ||||||||||
| 12 | Bulgaria | 19 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 13 |  Croatia | 20 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 24 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 4 | |
| 14 |  United Kingdom | 16 | 11 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 16 | 15 | 22 | ||
| 15 |  France | 5 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 15 | |
| 16 |  Moldova | 4 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 8 | |
| 17 |  Finland | 7 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 3 |
| 18 |  Poland | 3 | 23 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 13 | |
| 19 |  Lithuania | 18 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 19 | ||
| 20 |  Sweden | 23 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 17 | ||
| 21 | Cyprus | 24 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 20 | 15 | 23 | 21 | ||
| 22 |  Italy | 14 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 22 | 16 | ||
| 23 | Norway | 2 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 14 | |
| 24 | Romania | 8 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 7 |
| 25 |  Austria | 10 | 10 | 21 | 23 | 8 | 14 | 18 | 20 | ||
References
[edit]- ↑ Jiandani, Sanjay (30 September 2013). "Eurovision 2014: Czech Republic will not participate in Copenhagen". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ↑ "Second Semi-Final of Basel 2025 – Detailed voting results"". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
- ↑ Grace, Emily (9 September 2024). "🇨🇿 Czechia: Eurovision 2025 Artist To Be Selected Through Internal Competition". Eurovoix. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
- ↑ Granger, Anthony (3 September 2025). "🇨🇿 Czechia: Česká televize Confirms Eurovision 2026 Participation". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ↑ "Czechia: 260 Songs Submitted for Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix.com.
- ↑ "Česko nebude chybět na Eurovizi 2026 v Rakousku!". ESCArena.cz (in Czech). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ↑ "Výběr českého reprezentanta 2026 – Eurovision Song Contest" [Selection of the Czech representative 2026 – Eurovision Song Contest]. Česká televize (in Czech). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ↑ "Výběr českého reprezentanta 2026 – Eurovision Song Contest" [Selection of the Czech representative 2026 – Eurovision Song Contest]. Česká televize (in Czech). 3 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ↑ Lahav, Doron (19 December 2025). "Czechia: 8 Artists Remained in The Race For Eurovision 2026". ESCBEAT. Retrieved 11 March 2026.
- ↑ Granger, Anthony (1 March 2026). "Czechia: Eurovision 2026 Entry to be Revealed on March 8". Eurovoix News. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
- 1 2 "Daniel Zizka is Czechia's artist for 2026". Eurovision Song Contest. 8 March 2026. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ "Důležitá je autentičnost, reaguje Žižka na otázku ohledně bizarností na Eurovizi". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 21 March 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- 1 2 Episode 21: Delta Goodrem 🇦🇺 & Daniel Zizka 🇨🇿. The Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast. Eurovision. 7 May 2026. Event occurs at 19:00. Retrieved 15 May 2025 – via YouTube.
Žižka:"...like when we were prod, producing it, because I'm very hands-on artist, so I'm part of every second of the production too. So, and then year and a half before I was writing it. So the song is with me for a very long time... Holden:...Well, especially if you've had it for year, a year and a half. Some some people say they write a song in 15 minutes. A year and a half is a long time. Do you keep coming back to it? Do you kind of do a little bit come back like you kept revisiting it while writing it? Žižka:Yes... ...there was so many versions. First, I had the initial like riff or the motif that kind of led the songwriting process on and uh I wanted to have it this like major to minor tonality. Uh so I kept exploring with the harmony and I felt like there was so many options, too many ways. Uh, and then some lyrics started popping up and then it kind of just happened..."
- 1 2 3 4 "Na životní křižovatce. Žižka zveřejnil píseň, se kterou jede na Eurovizi". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). 11 March 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
The composition, on which Žižka collaborated with pianist and producer Viliam Béreš, took approximately two years to create. According to the creators, it deals with the decision-making process and moments in life when a person stands at an imaginary crossroads and must choose a further path. "The song captures the inner struggle and doubts that accompany such decisions...
- ↑ "The Semi-Final Draw for Vienna 2026: All you need to know". Eurovision.com. EBU. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
- ↑ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.com. EBU. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ↑ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed". Eurovision.com. EBU. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ↑ "Eurovision 2026: The First Semi-Final Qualifiers". Eurovision Song Contest. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Mensah, Katelyn. "Czechia's Eurovision entry faces technical difficulty as Graham Norton provides update | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 🇨🇿 CZECHIA EUROVISION 2026: Daniel Zizka - CROSSROADS (INTERVIEW) // Live from Vienna!. eurovoxx / Eurovibes by Maria. 10 May 2026. Event occurs at 00:38. Retrieved 16 May 2025 – via YouTube.
So in these mirrors, we're seeing a lot of like choices, many possible realities, maybe something that can feel overwhelming. You don't know which way to go, many options in life. So that's what the reflections are supposed to represent. And also on top of that, I think it does like a great illusion of like, we don't really know where we're looking at and it gives, like, I feel like it gives the song the right space... ...and the right energy...
- 1 2 3 TES Interviews: Daniel Zizka (Czechia 2026) in Vienna - That Eurovision Site. That Eurovision Site. 12 May 2026. Event occurs at 1:56. Retrieved 16 May 2026 – via YouTube.
Interviewer: ...the whole mirror motif has kind of followed you throughout this entire journey with your vision... Žižka: So we were talking with Ruy Okamura who's the art director of the whole performance when we were thinking of the different concepts, we wanted to envision like some form of like many possibilities, many decisions, something that's kind of like overwhelming, you don't really know where to go, which I think like encapsulates the message of the song a little bit. Kind of the like "Where do I go? Too many choices to make. Many possible realities." And then he mentioned mirrors. I was like that's perfect. That's perfect. We got to do mirrors here.
- ↑ "Eurovision 2026 Rehearsal One: Czechia plays with illusion in Daniel Žižka's "Crossroads"". That Eurovision Site. 4 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ "🇨🇿 Eurovision 2026 Rehearsal One: Czechia plays with illusion in Daniel Žižka's "Crossroads"". That Eurovision Site. 4 May 2026. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
- ↑ Lewis, George (16 May 2026). ""Bring them to court": Eurovision fans demand one act perform again after "technical problems"". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ Percival, Tom (16 May 2026). "Eurovision fans furious as Czechia denied second performance after blunder". Metro. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Voting data". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Voting data". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ↑ "How the Eurovision Song Contest works". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
