ESC Congress 2026 — the world's foremost cardiology meeting
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) holds its annual congress in Munich, Germany, and online, from 28 to 31 August 2026 at Messe München. ESC Congress is the largest cardiovascular meeting in the world, routinely drawing more than 30,000 delegates from over 150 countries and serving as the global stage where practice-changing trials and new ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines are first presented.
This year's focus: Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence
The 2026 edition centres on transformation through practice, policy, responsibility and genuine human connection. The dedicated Spotlight on Artificial Intelligence programme examines how AI is becoming a clinical co-pilot — improving precision, speed and safety across the patient pathway. Delegates will see AI in action from diagnosis to delivery through hands-on sessions, live demonstrations and immersive learning formats.
As ESC frames it: amid algorithms and automation, cardiology's heartbeat remains human, and progress begins with people.
Together at ESC Congress 2026, delegates will:
- Unite every cardiovascular discipline behind one purpose — transforming patient outcomes
- Explore the meeting point of science, policy and industry, shaping a global blueprint for responsible AI in cardiology
- Celebrate the human connection that drives discovery
- Sharpen clinical decision-making through hands-on practice sessions, immersive learning and live demonstrations
Scientific leadership
The congress and its scientific programme are led by Professor Thomas Felix Luescher (ESC President, 2024–2026) and Professor Tomasz Guzik (ESC Congress Programme Committee Chairperson, 2024–2026), supported by the full ESC Congress Programme Committee.
Programme scope
The four-day programme unites every cardiovascular subspecialty: heart failure, interventional cardiology and structural heart disease, electrophysiology and arrhythmias, cardiac imaging, preventive cardiology, acute cardiovascular care, cardio-oncology, hypertension, valvular heart disease, cardiovascular nursing and allied professions, and basic and translational science. Formats include Hot Line late-breaking trial sessions, guideline launch sessions, registry and trial updates, abstract and moderated poster sessions, debates, and practical case-based teaching.
Attending
ESC Congress 2026 runs as a hybrid meeting — full participation on-site in Munich, plus an online platform for remote delegates, with sessions available on demand afterwards via ESC 365. ESC members benefit from reduced registration fees, priority hotel booking, a dedicated Member Lounge, ESC Pocket Guidelines and access to the ESC Mentoring platform.
Venue: Messe München, Munich, Germany — served directly by the U2 underground line and roughly 40 minutes from Munich Airport, an easy connection from Gulf, European and Asian hubs.
