Albania is about to select its song for Vienna 2026

HOW TO WATCH: You'll be able to stream the Festivali i Këngës final on the YouTube channel of Albanian broadcaster RTSH. It starts at 21:00 CET on Saturday 20 December.

The Palace of Congresses in Tirana will play host to the final of the 64th edition of Festivali i Këngës, following on from two semi-finals (and a third night of cover performances from all artists) which took place in the week leading up to the main event.

From an initial lineup of 28 competing entries, 23 songs will take part in Saturday night's final.

Your hosts for the evening will be Arilena Ara and Salsano Rrapi, and together they'll be taking viewers through an evening of top-tier Albanian music before a conclusion which sees Albania with its entry for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.

Ahead of the live show, you can already familiarise yourself with the entries that you'll be seeing on the night. You can watch the performances of all 23 finalists from the semi-final stages of the competition over on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel, in one handy playlist.

Or you can click on each of the song titles below, to listen to the audio of the entries individually.

These are the 23 finalists in the order that they'll be performed during the live show:

• Gerta Mahmutaj – Në Krahët E Tu
• Lynx – Nuk Kthehem Pas
• Frensi – Tresh
• Evi Reçi – Kodi i Jetës
• Rezarta Smaja – Balukeprera
• Rigersa Loka – Albanian Heart
• Vedat Ademi – Kur Fjala Mbaron
• Erik Lloshi – Dy Pika Dashuri
• Kleansa Susaj – Hije
• Sara Kapo – Të Dua Shumë
• Sheila – Zemra e Tokës
• Savjana Vjerdha – Dimër Për Dimër E Vjeshtë Për Vjeshtë
• 2 Farm – Valle Mbi Hi
• Kamela Ismalaj – Pa Pretendime
• Gresa Gjocera & Bledi Kaso – Busulla E Zemrës
• Inis Neziri – Ta Kam Fal
• Lorenc Hasrama – Lamtumirë
• Endri Kaçaçi – Si Unë
• Luna Çausholli – Pa Kufij
• Alis – Nân
• Ghiti – Okej!
• Enxhi Nasufi – Dritë
• Fifi & Tiri Gjoci – Rri

Scoring will come from both a jury and a public vote, with a 50% weighting given to each..

Amongst the interval acts you can look forward to seeing during the night, RTSH have confirmed that Tommy Cash will be performing as a special guest, after giving his native Estonia a third-place finish at Basel 2025 with viral hit Espresso Macchiato.

Shkodra Elektronike were victorious in the 63rd edition of Festivali i Këngës in 2024. 

The duo ended up taking their song Zjerm to the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, giving Albania a Top 10 finish in the Grand Final.