Malta to host 2026 Junior Eurovision Song Contest
The competition will take place at the MFCC in Ta Qali on October 24
Malta will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2026 at the MFCC in Ta' Qali in October, marking the third time it has hosted the event.
The European Broadcasting Union announced the decision on Friday afternoon, a day after Aidan secured his place in the final with his cinematic ballad Bella.
The 24th Junior Eurovision Song Contest will be held on Saturday, October 24th as the MFCC in Ta' Qali will be transformed into a "Eurovision Festa Village".
Malta, previously hosted two Junior Eurovision Song Contests, the first in 2014, at the Marsa Shipyard, after Gaia Cauchi won the 2013 competition with her song The Start.
In 2016, the competition was staged at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.
Malta won the contest in 2015 with Destiny's track Not My Soul. The singer later went on to represent Malta at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest.
In the press release, the director of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Martin Green said the team was "thrilled" to bring the contest back to Malta with PBS.
"Malta has an exceptional track record in the Contest, not only in terms of its successes on stage but also as a host broadcaster that understands how to create a world-class event for young performers. We know that PBS will once again deliver a spectacular show that captures the creativity, diversity and spirit at the heart of Junior Eurovision.”
Keith Chetcuti, Chief Executive Officer of PBS said Malta is "Eurovision's biggest fan and ally" and described it as an "honour" to be chosen as the host nation for this year's Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
"This event is a celebration of our warmth and heritage, and we look forward to making this a landmark event. Malta is not only ready to host such a prestigious event but also committed to keep building its relationship with EBU and our colleague members."
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest will showcase performers aged nine to 14 across Europe and beyond, with more details and the full participant line-up to follow in the coming months.
Last year, Malta's Junior Eurovision representative placed 11th out of 18 countries, while France secured its fourth victory in the children's song contest.