Montenegro’s representative Tamara Živković failed to qualify for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, triggering strong reactions among Eurovision fans and viewers across social media platforms. Živković performed the song “Nova zora” in the first semi-final in Vienna, but Montenegro was not announced among the countries advancing to the final round.
Following the results, many Eurovision fans expressed disappointment and frustration online, with numerous comments claiming that Montenegro deserved a place in the final. Reactions focused particularly on the visual identity of the performance, Tamara Živković’s stage presence and the emotional interpretation of the song. Some fan pages and Eurovision communities described the elimination as one of the evening’s biggest surprises, while posts supporting Montenegro circulated widely during and after the semi-final broadcast.
In statements after the performance, Tamara Živković said that she believed Montenegro deserved a place in the final and stressed that the delegation had invested significant effort into the project. She highlighted the support received from fans before and after the semi-final and stated that the team was proud of what had been presented on stage. According to her comments, the performance was approached with the intention of presenting a contemporary but recognizable Montenegrin musical identity to the wider European audience.
Montenegro returned to Eurovision through the Montesong selection format after previous interruptions in participation caused partly by financial and organizational difficulties within the national broadcaster RTCG. The country has historically struggled to reach the Eurovision final, qualifying only twice since becoming an independent participant in 2007. Its best result remains the 13th-place finish achieved by Knez with the song “Adio” in 2015.
Despite failing to qualify, reactions from parts of the Eurovision audience suggested that Tamara Živković’s performance succeeded in attracting attention beyond the official result itself. Support messages continued to spread online after the semi-final, with many fans emphasizing that Montenegro’s return to the contest and the renewed visibility of its music scene remain important regardless of the final placement.
