Albania’s Eurovision Entry

Albania will send Alis to Eurovision 2026 with “Nân,” a ballad chosen in December through the country’s long-running Festivali i Këngës selection. (eurovision.com) Radio Televizioni Shqiptar, Albania’s public broadcaster, picked the song after four nights of Festivali i Këngës 64 in Tirana, held from December 17 to December 20, 2025. The final featured 23 songs after 28 acts took part in the earlier rounds. (eurovision.com) (wikipedia.org) The final result combined jury and public voting, and Eurovision’s official site said Alis was the “clear champion with both sides.” Festivali i Këngës 64 used a 50-50 split between jury and televote in the final. (eurovision.com) (wikipedia.org) “Nân” means “Mother,” and the song centers on a mother waiting at the doorway as children leave for a better life. Eurovisionworld’s translation frames it around separation, memory and migration, themes that have often resonated in Albanian Eurovision entries. (eurovisionworld.com) That puts Albania’s entry in a familiar lane for the contest: a national-final song with a strong domestic identity, then a broader European test in May. Eurovision 2026 is scheduled for Vienna, with semi-finals on May 12 and May 14 and the grand final on May 16. (eurovision.com) (eurovisionworld.com) Albania has used Festivali i Këngës to choose its Eurovision act for years, and the show remains one of the contest season’s earliest launch points. The 2025 edition also barred songs made with generative artificial intelligence, according to the published contest rules and coverage of the festival. (wikipedia.org) Recent contest coverage has treated “Nân” as one of the entries drawing early attention, but bookmaker markets have been more cautious. Eurovisionworld’s winner odds page listed Albania 25th as of last week, while a separate Albania page at EurovisionOdds.org put its implied win chance at about 1%. (aussievision.net) (eurovisionworld.com) (eurovisionodds.org) For now, the hard fact is simpler than the hype: Albania has its song, its artist and its spot on the Vienna schedule. The next test for “Nân” comes when Eurovision week begins on May 12. (eurovision.com)