# Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Germany entered the [Eurovision Song Contest 2026](https://www.edgepedia.org/eurovision-song-contest-2026) in Vienna with the singer Sarah Engels and the song "Fire", finishing 23rd of the 25 Grand Finalists with 12 points.[1](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/countries/germany/) As one of the contest's "Big Five" broadcasters, Germany qualified directly for the Grand Final without competing in a semi-final.[2](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/rules-of-the-contest/) The 2026 edition, held at the Wiener Stadthalle on 16 May, marked the contest's 70th anniversary.[3](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/35-broadcasters-70th-eurovision-song-contest-in-vienna/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and song | Sarah Engels, "Fire"[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/) |
| National selection | Won "Das Deutsche Finale 2026" on 28 February 2026, decided by an international jury and a public vote[5](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/germany-das-deutsche-finale-deep-dive/) |
| Grand Final result | 23rd place, 12 points[1](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/countries/germany/) |
| Running order | Second, immediately after Denmark's opening entry[6](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html) |
| Broadcaster | ARD/SWR; the final was broadcast live on Das Erste from 21:00[3](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/35-broadcasters-70th-eurovision-song-contest-in-vienna/) • [6](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html) |
| Contest | 70th Eurovision Song Contest, Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, 12–16 May 2026, 35 participating broadcasters[3](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/35-broadcasters-70th-eurovision-song-contest-in-vienna/) |
| Winner | DARA of Bulgaria with "Bangaranga", Bulgaria's first victory, 516 points[7](https://www.eurovision.de/) |
## Selection: Das Deutsche Finale 2026
The 2026 entry was chosen by a public national final, "Das Deutsche Finale 2026", staged on Saturday 28 February 2026 with a 20:15 CET start and broadcast on ARD, with a live stream on the contest's YouTube channel.[5](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/germany-das-deutsche-finale-deep-dive/) Nine acts performed nine entries, and the winner was decided by a 20-member international jury, which shortlisted three favorites, combined with a public vote.[5](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/germany-das-deutsche-finale-deep-dive/) • [7](https://www.eurovision.de/) The show was co-hosted for the first time by Barbara Schöneberger and Hazel Brugger.[5](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/germany-das-deutsche-finale-deep-dive/)
The nine competing acts were Sarah Engels, Laura Nahr, Malou Lovis, Dreamboys The Band, BELA, Molly Sue, wavvyboi, MYLE, and Ragazzki.[7](https://www.eurovision.de/) Their songs included "Wonderland" (Laura Nahr), "when i'm with you" (Malou Lovis), "Jeanie" (Dreamboys [The Band](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-band)), "Herz" (BELA), "Optimist (Ha Ha Ha)" (Molly Sue), "black glitter" (wavvyboi), "A OK" (MYLE), and "Ciao Ragazzki" (Ragazzki).[8](https://www.ardmediathek.de/daserste/esc) Engels won with "Fire", securing the ticket to Vienna.[9](https://www.eurovision.de/sarah-engels%2Cdeutschland-362.html)
## The artist: Sarah Engels
Sarah Engels first came to national attention in 2011 through the television talent show *Deutschland Sucht den Superstar*. Her debut single "Call My Name" and album *Heartbeat* brought immediate chart success and an Echo award nomination.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/) She later built a television career, taking second place on *Let's Dance* and winning *Das große Promibacken*, *The Masked Singer*, and *Dancing on Ice*, alongside work as a presenter, actress, and voice actress.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/) • [9](https://www.eurovision.de/sarah-engels%2Cdeutschland-362.html) In 2025 she released the album *Strong Girls Club* and took the lead role in the Cologne production of *Moulin Rouge*.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/)
"Fire" was written by Dario Schürmann, Luisa Heinemann, Raphael Lott, and Valentin Boes, with Engels also credited among the lyricists.[4](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/)
## The contest in Vienna
Vienna hosted the 70th contest after Austria's JJ won the 2025 edition in Basel with "Wasted Love".[10](https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/release/vienna-host-city-70th-eurovision) Thirty-five broadcasters took part, with semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May at 21:00 CEST.[3](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/35-broadcasters-70th-eurovision-song-contest-in-vienna/) • [11](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/vienna-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-grand-final/) The field was reduced from the previous year's 37 countries because five broadcasters, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain, withdrew over Israel's participation, while Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova returned.[12](https://apnews.com/article/f2f4a51ba88eb24b384f051a45189cff) • [13](https://elpais.com/television/2026-05-16/puede-volver-a-participar-espana-en-eurovision-que-pasara-el-ano-que-viene.html)
Germany performed second in the Grand Final, directly after Denmark's opening entry, with host nation Austria closing the show.[6](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html) In the final voting, DARA of Bulgaria won with "Bangaranga", taking first place with both the juries and the televoters and securing Bulgaria's first Eurovision victory with 516 points.[7](https://www.eurovision.de/) Engels finished 23rd with 12 points, third from last in the 25-song final.[1](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/countries/germany/) • [7](https://www.eurovision.de/)
## German broadcast and reception
ARD broadcast the Grand Final live on Das Erste from Vienna, with Thorsten Schorn as commentator for the third consecutive year.[6](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html) ARD produced supporting programming with Austrian ORF and Swiss SRF, including "Eurovision Song Contest 2026 – Der Countdown" and an aftershow hosted by Barbara Schöneberger, along with a documentary, "70 Jahre ESC – More than Music", in the ARD Mediathek.[14](https://www.ard.de/die-ard/ard-programmdirektion/programmpresse/pressemeldungen/20260505-esc-pm-100.html) The semi-finals aired on ARD ONE and in the Mediathek; Engels performed in the first semi-final as a non-competing Big Five act because Germany qualified automatically for the Grand Final. Competing semi-final entrants performed in their assigned semi-final, with the top ten from each advancing based on combined audience and jury votes.[6](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html) • [16](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/vienna-2026-semi-final-lineups-drawn/)
## Aftermath
Following the 2026 result, SWR opened the search for Germany's 2027 entry, "Eurovision Song Contest – Das Deutsche Finale 2027", with applications from artists and songwriters open until mid-September 2026.[7](https://www.eurovision.de/) The 2027 contest will be hosted in Burgas, Bulgaria, following DARA's victory, with semi-finals on 11 and 13 May 2027 and the final on 15 May.[15](https://apnews.com/article/81eccb688ff3f9594946457ce94ba7a7)
## References
1. [Germany, Eurovision Song Contest country profile](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/countries/germany/)
2. [Rules of the Contest, Eurovision Song Contest](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/rules-of-the-contest/)
3. [35 broadcasters to compete at 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, EBU](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/35-broadcasters-70th-eurovision-song-contest-in-vienna/)
4. [Sarah Engels – Germany, Vienna 2026 participant page](https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/vienna-2026/participants/sarah-engels/)
5. [Your 'Das Deutsche Finale' deep dive, Eurovision Song Contest](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/germany-das-deutsche-finale-deep-dive/)
6. [Wien wird zur Bühne für Europas größte Musikshow, eurovision.de](https://www.eurovision.de/highlights-esc-wien%2Cdeutschland-376.html)
7. [Eurovision Song Contest – Alles zum ESC, eurovision.de](https://www.eurovision.de/)
8. [ESC 2026 Livestreams und Highlights, ARD Mediathek](https://www.ardmediathek.de/daserste/esc)
9. [Sarah Engels gewinnt Das Deutsche Finale 2026, eurovision.de](https://www.eurovision.de/sarah-engels%2Cdeutschland-362.html)
10. [Vienna revealed as Host City for 70th Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, eurovision.tv](https://eurovision.tv/mediacentre/release/vienna-host-city-70th-eurovision)
11. [Vienna 2026: All you need to know about the Grand Final, Eurovision Song Contest](https://www.eurovision.com/stories/vienna-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-grand-final/)
12. [Slovenia TV says it won't air Eurovision song contest after pulling out, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/f2f4a51ba88eb24b384f051a45189cff)
13. [¿Puede volver a participar España en Eurovisión?, El País](https://elpais.com/television/2026-05-16/puede-volver-a-participar-espana-en-eurovision-que-pasara-el-ano-que-viene.html)
14. [70 Jahre Eurovision Song Contest, ard.de](https://www.ard.de/die-ard/ard-programmdirektion/programmpresse/pressemeldungen/20260505-esc-pm-100.html)
15. [Eurovision music contest will take place in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas next year, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/81eccb688ff3f9594946457ce94ba7a7)
16. [Vienna 2026 Semi Final Lineups Drawn, eurovision.com](https://www.eurovision.com/newsroom/release/vienna-2026-semi-final-lineups-drawn/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Music awards › National and regional music awards › European national music awards › Pan-European music awards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license