Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026
Finland is set to be represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song "Liekinheitin)", written by Antti Riihimäki, Lauri Halavaara, Linda Lampenius, Pete Parkkonen) and Vilma Alina Lähteenmäki, and performed by Lampenius and Parkkonen themselves. The Finnish participating broadcaster, Yleisradio (Yle), organised the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026 in order to select its entry for the contest.
Background
Prior to the 2026 contest, Yleisradio (Yle) has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Finland fifty-eight times since its first entry in (/wiki/FinlandintheEurovisionSongContest1961). It had won the contest once in (/wiki/FinlandintheEurovisionSongContest2006) with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" performed by Lordi. In (/wiki/FinlandintheEurovisionSongContest2025), "Ich komme" performed by Erika Vikman qualified for the final and placed 11th.
Background
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, Yle organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. Finland's entries for the Eurovision Song Contest had been selected through national final competitions that had varied in format over the years. Between 1961 and 2011, a selection show that was often titled Suomen euroviisukarsinta highlighted that the purpose of the program was to select a song for Eurovision. However, since 2012, the broadcaster had organised the selection show Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK), which focuses on showcasing new music with the winning song being selected as the Finnish Eurovision entry for that year. Yle confirmed its intention to participate at the 2026 contest on 4 December 2025, announcing that the Finnish entry would again be selected through Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu; the decision had been delayed as Yle had outlined conditions for its continued participation, which were subsequently addressed and approved following the EBU's general assembly.