The Intervision Song Contest (ISC) made a triumphant return in 2025, culminating in a historic victory for Vietnamese pop star Đức Phúc and his powerful anthem, "Phù Đổng Thiên Vương." Yet, before even Vietnam's triumph, the organizing body had announced that the 2026 edition would not be held in Saudi Arabia.
Diverging sharply from the Eurovision tradition, where the winner hosts, Intervision has a different way of hosting the contest.
Victory Does Not Grant Hosting Rights
The primary reason for the switch is structural. The Intervision Song Contest is organized by the Russian-based Art Traditions Foundation for Protection and Support of Cultural Heritage and Promotion of National and World Culture.
The official Intervision Song Contest regulations state clearly that the Host Country is chosen by the Founder based on a submitted application from a willing organizer within that country. The winner is awarded a trophy and a significant cash prize (RUB 30 million in 2025), but not the automatic right or obligation to host the following year.
Hosting requires a local legal entity to take responsibility for all production, promotion, and financing. Saudi Arabia, through its Saudi Music Commission, was reportedly one of the nations to submit a robust application, signaling its clear willingness and financial capacity to host the event.
Although Intervision waived entry fees for participants in 2025, the cost of hosting a major international spectacle, including building a massive stage, housing numerous delegations, and securing a venue with a minimum 5,000 capacity, is substantial.
Saudi Arabia
The selection of Riyadh is a testament to the confluence of finance, national strategy, and the contest's geopolitical mandate. Saudi Arabia's willingness to host is integral to its national transformation plan. The Intervision Song Contest aligns perfectly with Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom's blueprint for diversifying its economy away from oil. Hosting a global music contest establishes Riyadh as a destination for international arts and entertainment. The event offers an unparalleled opportunity to showcase a modern, creative, and globally engaged Saudi Arabia to millions of viewers in the Intervision broadcast sphere (Asia, Africa, and Latin America), directly supporting its tourism and cultural goals.
The willingness to heavily finance the production was undoubtedly the most decisive factor for the founder (Russia). Saudi Arabia is known for hosting large-scale, high-production-value events. Their bid guarantees a spectacular, technologically advanced contest that will rival the production quality of the recent Moscow event.
A state-funded, sponsor-driven host minimizes the financial burden on participating countries, which is essential for attracting new, financially constrained countries (like Slovakia, or African and Latin American states) to the contest in 2026.
Neutrality
After the inaugural contest in Moscow, the event faced criticism regarding its political undertones as a Russian-led counterpoint to the ESC. Moving the contest to Riyadh, a capital with robust economic ties to both the East and the West, provides a geopolitical neutral ground. This pivot is strategic, removing the immediate political pressure on potential participants (like those in Europe or Asia) who might have been hesitant to travel to Moscow.
In conclusion, Saudi Arabia offers the guaranteed investment, production quality, and neutral staging necessary to propel Intervision into its next phase of global expansion. Plus, the regulations of the Intervision Song Contest clearly state that the Founder is choosing the Organizer for the next year.
Written by Manios Themis
Intervision Song Contest specialist. Combines a Computer Science background with exhaustive knowledge of every edition (1965 Golden Clef, 1977–1980 Sopot era, 2025 revival, and Saudi Arabia 2026). Author and curator of the most complete independent Intervision archive online.
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