HRT has announced they have received a record-breaking number of applications for Dora 2026, the Croatian selection for Eurovision 2026.
Following the closure of song submissions on November 23, the Croatian broadcaster HRT confirmed they have received a record-breaking number of 251 entries for Dora 2026 – 30 more than last year. According to the broadcaster, this is a sign that “the interest of performers and authors in Dora is growing every year”.
An expert jury will now select 24 songs to compete in Dora 2026, as well as four reserve songs in case any song is withdrawn. Dora 2026 will take place in February 2026 in Zagreb. The winner will represent Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna.
Marko Bošnjak represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel with “Poison Cake”. He finished 12th in Semi-Final 1, scoring 28 points, 12 of which came from the Slovene public vote. He failed to qualify for the final.
Image source: HTV / HRT | Source: HRT
Croatia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country in 1993. They were one of three countries to debut in the contest that year. Croatia’s best result came in 2024, when Baby Lasgana finished 2nd in Malmö. He performed the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”, which scored a total of 547 points, including 12 points from the juries in Cyprus and Serbia, and 9 sets of 12 points from the public vote. Croatia returned to the contest in 2016, having withdrawn after the 2013 contest due to a string of poor results and financial difficulties.
