Daniel Žižka: Czech Republic Heads to Eurovision 2026 in Vienna
Czech Television has confirmed 23-year-old singer and actor Daniel Žižka as the Czech Republic's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna. He will perform the song CROSSROADS in the second semi-final on May 14th.
A New Czech Voice Heads to Vienna
Czech Television has officially confirmed that 23-year-old singer, actor, and songwriter Daniel Žižka will represent the Czech Republic at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. The announcement came on March 8, 2026, and has generated considerable attention within the domestic music scene. Žižka will be the fourteenth artist that the Czech Republic has sent to the prominent European music competition.
From 260 Submissions to a Single Choice
The path to the Eurovision stage was not easy. Czech Television received a total of 260 submitted songs for this year's edition. From this number, the jury selected eight finalists who competed for the nomination. Žižka ultimately won with a convincing interpretation of his song and a distinctive artistic expression.
The head of the Czech Eurovision delegation, Kryštof Šámal, admitted during the announcement that when Žižka sang in the recording studio, complete silence fell over the room. "You could see his complete focus and certainty," Šámal described. "The performance was technically precise and full of emotion at the same time – he knew exactly who he was as an artist."
The Song Crossroads and Artistic Vision
Žižka's Eurovision song is titled CROSSROADS. The music video for it was released on March 11, 2026, on the official Eurovision YouTube channel. The song's style combines elements of indie pop and ambient music – a genre combination that consciously distinguishes itself from overproduced pop spectacles.
Žižka himself described his approach with the words: "I don't want to compete hidden behind ostentation and spectacle. I want to stand firmly behind who I am as an artist." The Czech delegation has prepared a unified visual world around his performance – photography, graphic design, video, and stage design are all subordinate to a single artistic motif symbolizing Žižka's artistic journey.
Who is Daniel Žižka?
Daniel Žižka (born 2003) is a graduate of the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory in Prague, where he studied musical theatre and popular singing. Viewers may know him from the television series The Protector or Mr. Professor. He has been composing music since childhood – he reportedly started writing his own songs at the age of ten. The music magazine Headliner has included him among the talents who will shape the future of the Czech music scene.
Semi-Finals and Grand Final: Dates and Broadcasts
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, where the 70th edition of the competition will take place. The venue is the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. The Czech Republic will perform in the second semi-final on May 14th and, if they qualify, will perform in the grand final on May 16th. Both semi-finals will be broadcast on ČT2, and the final will be on ČT1.
The Czech Footprint at Eurovision: From Disappointment to Hope
The Czech Republic debuted at Eurovision in 2007, and only qualified for the final for the first time in 2016. Since then, the results have improved: in 2018, Mikolas Josef finished in an excellent sixth place with the song Lie to Me, and in 2023, the girl band Vesna took tenth place. The last edition in 2025 brought disappointment – the Czech Republic did not qualify for the final and received only 29 points. Žižka gets the chance to return the country to the final elite and build on the best era of Czech Eurovision history.
