Overview

• A February 2025 presidential decree authorized the revival, which opened on September 20 at Moscow’s Live Arena.
• Organizers said BRICS and CIS states were invited, and TF1 reported that 23 nations took part with no European Union members.
• The United States entry shifted to Australian singer Vassy after R&B performer Brandon Howard withdrew at the last moment.
• Announced participants included Qatar’s Dana Al Meer, Serbia’s Slobodan Trkulja, Brazil’s Luciano Calazans and Tais Nader, and Saudi Arabia’s Zena Emad.
• Performances are set in each artist’s native language with an international jury, and organizer Konstantin Ernst projected a potential audience reaching one billion through broadcasts across participating countries.