Media accreditation for journalists and bloggers wishing to cover the International Festival of Youth has officially closed. The event is set to take place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 16, 2026, as part of the national Youth and Children project.

More than 800 journalists and bloggers from 62 countries submitted requests to cover the largest international youth event of the year. In total, the applications were received from representatives of approximately 320 media outlets, over 200 of which are foreign-based.

"This year, we saw a substantial volume of applications from both international media and the blogging community. Media representatives from Algeria, Belarus, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, Yemen, Kenya, China, Colombia, Mali, Morocco, Moldova, Portugal, the United States, Tanzania, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, Switzerland, Sri-Lanka, Ecuador, South Africa and many others want to cover the international festival. For accredited journalists and bloggers, we are creating a fully equipped International Media Center, featuring workspaces, lounge areas, press conference and press scrum zones, recording studios, and all necessary amenities for efficient content production. Our goal is to ensure that media representatives can fully focus on the main thing: delivering objective coverage of the International Festival of Youth, its participants, and modern Russia to the world," said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.

Accredited media representatives will be granted expanded access to key events, the opportunity to engage with leading speakers and communicate directly with participants from different countries. Throughout the Festival, journalists and bloggers will be assisted by media volunteers at the media center.

The IFY will run from September 11 to 17, 2026, in Ekaterinburg and will bring together 10,000 young leaders from 190 countries: 5,000 from Russia and 5,000 from abroad. In addition, 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 will take part in the program.

Held under the motto "Follow Your Dream," the Festival will become the largest international platform for youth dialogue, knowledge exchange, and development of cooperation in science, education, media, public administration, entrepreneurship, sports, creativity, digital technologies, and civic engagement.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place in Sirius on March 1-7, 2024, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.

In line with the Russian President’s instructions to preserve and further develop the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across the Russian Federation. In 2025, the World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod, bringing together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will welcome 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will take place in 2030.

The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and develop a global community of young people committed to shaping a better future.