Yekaterinburg, August 30, 2026 – The Europe Today: Organisers of the International Youth Festival 2026 have completed the selection of participants for the event, which will be held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, from September 11 to 17.
A total of 10,000 young people from 191 countries have been invited to participate in the festival, which is being organised as a platform for international dialogue, cultural exchange and cooperation on global challenges.
According to the Directorate of the World Youth Festival, more than 113,000 applications were submitted for this year’s event. For the first time in the history of the festival movement, applications from international participants exceeded those from Russian applicants by 32,000.
The final selection comprises 5,000 Russian and 5,000 foreign participants. The group also includes 1,000 teenagers aged between 14 and 17, divided equally between Russian and international participants.
Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate, said young people from post-Soviet countries would continue to have a strong presence, with more than 1,000 participants expected from the region.
Argentina, Brazil, India, China and Saudi Arabia are among the countries with the largest delegations, he said, adding that participants from Western countries would also attend, including more than 100 representatives from France, the United Kingdom and Italy combined.
Ivanov said the broad geographical representation and high level of competition for participation demonstrated the scale of international interest in the festival.
Sector-Based Selection
A new feature of the 2026 festival is the sector-based approach to selecting foreign delegations. Participants have been chosen from eight key fields, including creative industries, science, sports, public administration, media and information technology.
According to the organisers, selection was based not only on participants’ interest in attending but also on their professional achievements and experience.
Among the selected participants is Ivaylo Danailov of Bulgaria, who became a mayor at the age of 26 and has been involved in local development initiatives. He said he hoped to share his experience of reforms in Bulgaria while gaining ideas for new projects through interaction with other participants.
Christian Bahati of the Republic of the Congo, who heads a major mining company and established a charitable organisation in 2019 to support disadvantaged communities in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo, is another participant.
Bahati said he hoped to establish partnerships at the festival that could help transform ideas into practical projects.
From Uzbekistan, Fotima Bogshokhi is developing an artificial intelligence assistant designed to support doctors working in rural areas. She said she plans to seek feedback on expanding the project and improving access to healthcare in remote communities.
India’s Amit Kothawade, who developed a COVID-19 contact-tracing application during the pandemic, is currently working at a government agency. Under his leadership, the startup ecosystem has expanded to include 35,000 projects.
Culture, Media and International Exchange
The festival will also bring together bloggers and social media creators from different countries. Among them is Spanish content creator Diego Rodriguez, who said he aims to present his audience with a perspective of Russia based on personal experiences and interactions with its people rather than stereotypes.
The festival programme will feature panel discussions, sporting events, cultural programmes, volunteer activities and excursions. Organisers said the activities are intended to encourage international cooperation and the development of joint initiatives.
The main venue will be the Yekaterinburg-Expo International Exhibition Center, while participants and volunteers will be accommodated at the campus of Ural Federal University.
The previous World Youth Festival was held in Sirius in March 2024, attracting 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries. A separate international youth gathering was held in Nizhny Novgorod in 2025, bringing together 2,000 participants from 120 countries.
Organisers have announced that the next full-scale World Youth Festival, which is expected to accommodate 20,000 participants, is scheduled to take place in 2030.
