L’Eurovision is launching an Asian version in November 2026 in Bangkok, with ten participating countries including Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam. Each country will hold a national contest to select its representative with an original song. Organizers are hoping for up to 600 million viewers for this Asian edition.
It will probably be necessary to find another name. This year, fans of the best international singing contest (objectively) will have the right to a second edition. Indeed, the Eurovision organizers have announced the launch of a new edition that is no longer very European as it will take place in Asia.
The Eurovision organization has teamed up with several Asian production companies to create its dedicated contest for the Asian continent, revealed France Inter on Tuesday, March 31. As the radio website specifies, the very first edition of Eurovision Asia will be held in Bangkok.
Ten countries have already signed up, according to the official event website: Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Bhutan, and South Korea, the home country of K-pop and groups like BTS or Blackpink. Other countries, among the 48 in Asia according to UN official figures, are expected to join them in the coming weeks.
A five times larger audience than in Europe
The contest final will take place on November 14, 2026. By this date, each country must organize a national competition to choose its official representative. All candidates (group or solo) must create an original song for the occasion, which they must perform live on stage at each stage of the competition.
According to the event organizers, 160 million people watched the Eurovision final live and the victory of Austrian JJ. In Asia, the audience could be five times larger according to them, as they are expecting around 600 million viewers. The stakes are high for the Eurovision organization, which co-produces the show and holds the license.
The 2026 edition of the European version of Eurovision, which will also be special for the competition’s 70th anniversary, will take place on May 12, 14, and 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. France will be represented by Monroe, with the song “Regarde!”
