EUROPE Announces European Leg Of 'The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour' For September/October 2026

In 1986, Swedish rock icons EUROPE released their momentous third album, "The Final Countdown", which catapulted the group to international fame, with the title track single reaching No. 1 in 25 countries around the globe. The multi-platinum-selling album topped the charts around the globe with four Top 40 singles and over 60 weeks on the American Billboard chart.

With the continued success of the song into the digital age, the band received an award from YouTube in 2022 for the first Swedish band ever to receive a billion views for any one song, and, of course, the number keeps rising — as of today, it's close to 1.4 billion views.

"The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary" tour will travel across 12 countries including U.K., Netherlands, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, taking in 19 concerts. The show will consist of a career retrospective setlist culminating in the band playing "The Final Countdown" album in its entirety.

Since the release of "The Final Countdown", EUROPE has continuously toured the world, released eight more albums earning them a Classic Rock Award, a Swedish Grammis award (Swedish Grammy equivalent) and many other accolades. The group is one of the elite number of artists to retain their complete classic lineup, and September 2026 will also see the release of EUROPE's 12th studio record. As yet untitled, the album was recorded at RMV studios in Stockholm in October 2025 with famed producer Tom Dalgety (GHOST, THE PIXIES, ROYAL BLOOD, OPETH).

EUROPE singer Joey Tempest comments: "In a blink of an eye, 40 years have passed and we're about to perform 'The Final Countdown' in full for only the second time in our career, together with other hits and our favorite songs from our upcoming album. This will be amazing. We're working on making the production and show match this very special occasion."

Special guests on the whole tour will be Canadian hotshots THE DAMN TRUTH, whose acclaimed self-titled fourth album was produced by Bob Rock (METALLICA, BON JOVI, MÖTLEY CRÜE). Scottish legends GUN appearing as very special guests also on all U.K. shows.

Tickets will be on sale Friday, November 28 at 10 a.m. local time, with U.K. presales starting Wednesday, November 26 at 10 a.m.

EUROPE 2026 "The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour" dates:

September 30 - UK - Glasgow, SEC Armadillo
October 02 - UK - Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
October 03 - UK - London, Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith
October 05 - Netherlands - Arnhem, Musis
October 06 - France - Paris, Olympia
October 08 - Spain - Barcelona, Poble Espanyol
October 09 - Spain - Bilbao, Arena Miribilla
October 10 - Spain - Madrid, La Cubierta
October 12 - Switzerland - Lausanne, Salle Metropole
October 13 - Switzerland - Zurich, Volkshaus
October 14 - Italy - Milan, Alcatraz
October 16 - Germany - Stuttgart, Liederhalle
October 17 - Austria - Vienna, Gasometer
October 19 - Germany - Berlin, Admiralspalast
October 20 - Poland - Warsaw, Torwar
October 22 - Denmark - Copenhagen, Falconer
October 23 - Sweden - Gothenburg, Film Studios
October 24 - Sweden - Stockholm, BK
October 26 - Norway - Oslo, Sentrum Scene

This past September, EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland spoke to Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the Swedish band's long-awaited next LP. He said:  "It's been a while now since we recorded the last album; 2017 [is when] 'Walk The Earth' came out. And it doesn't feel like it's — whatever — seven years or eight years since it was released, because — I don't know — the older you get, the faster time spins, I guess. But we now finally are gonna release a new album next year, and we're gonna record it starting in October this year."

Asked if all the songs for EUROPE's new album had already been written, Ian said: "Yeah, most of it is done, I would say. I think we have more than that covers an album. And you know what?! The great thing with having seven years between the albums is that we had time to really collect great material. So there's no sense of rushing around these songs. And the good thing with not having Sony Records dictating is that we can pick exactly the songs we want to, we own the recordings. We just bring them — like LED ZEPPELIN did in the '60s; they'd bring the master and say, 'This is it. Take it or leave it.' So we're living after that formula these days."

Regarding whether EUROPE has already decided on a title for the upcoming album, Ian said: "No. Well, we've been kind of feeling it out a little. There are some titles that might be suitable for album titles. But we also have the feeling that the album title usually presents itself during the process. Once you get into the studio and you start recording, you get that, 'Oh, wow. This is a good album name.' But I have to say, and it's not trying to sell the new album, but I have to say at this stage I never heard this many awesome song ideas or finished songs as we have for this forthcoming album. It's gonna be really a case of 'kill your darlings' when we start recording it. At this early stage still, they feel like very well thought-through creations with compositions within composition, if you know what I mean. Solo parts that are composed as a totally new part. It's really inspiring. Yeah, I think this is gonna be the fucking greatest album ever. [Laughs]"

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new EUROPE material, Ian said: "I have to say this album is more of a sort of an homage to the '80s in the sense of, I would say, a lot more, a lot more melodic ideas and, as I said, melodic — not solos, but melodies that carry the song. So, yeah, it's more of an homage to the '80s, I would say. It's really exciting."

This past April, Tempest told Colombia's Radioacktiva about the fact that it's been eight years since he and his EUROPE bandmates released their last studio album: "Honestly, we've never had this long break — ever. I mean, when we did 'Bag Of Bones' [2012], 'War Of Kings' [2015] and 'Walk The Earth', those three albums, they were, like, boom, boom, boom, touring all the way. And then all of a sudden COVID hit and we had some extra time. And then it kind of felt okay to leave it a bit and to live with the ideas, to write new stuff. And that's why this [upcoming EUROPE] album's gonna be special. These songs we lived with for a while — they're strong and there's some strong melodies. And it's gonna make this album special, that it has this extra time. But we've been touring ever since, as you know. So we're always on the road, but we haven't been in the studio, and we're going in this autumn, and that's gonna be a big moment."

Earlier that same month, Haugland was asked by Brazil's Marcelo Vieira how EUROPE's longtime fans have reacted to the band's recent studio output, which has followed a more blues/classic rock direction instead of the poppy hard rock from the group's most commercially successful years. Ian responded: "Some of the more sort of '80s lovers, they have some — I shouldn't say 'negative' thoughts, but they miss the old EUROPE, as they say. [They tell us], 'You should write more melodic songs' or whatever. But I think our thoughts [have] always been [that] the most important thing for the band to move on is to not only move on and play the old songs, but to give ourselves the space to develop as musicians, as a band, with trying different sounds out. And I think we've been on a musical journey.'

He continued: "The last couple of albums have been more towards the bluesier hard rock. And now the latest one, which actually came eight years ago, 'Walk The Earth', is a lot inspired by our roots, like RAINBOW and [LED] ZEPELIN and DEEP PURPLE. So it's more of that. And right now we're writing songs for a new album that is gonna be recorded later this year. And I think that now we're maybe more back to the melodic EUROPE, sort of. So we're on the journey swaying from different styles and angles. And I think it's important for us to be able to develop all the time. But I would say most of our fans are positive to our development."

Also in April, Tempest confirmed to Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda that he and his EUROPE bandmates were working on new material. "It's been a long while," he said. "We've never had this long of a break before — ever. We always move from tour into the studio, tour into the studio. I mean, 'Bag Of Bones', 'War Of Kings' and 'Walk The Earth', it was a period in our lives, a very energetic period. But we've been touring ever since, though, ever since 'Walk The Earth'. But we haven't been in the studio. I mean, it started a bit with the, the period of COVID, that made us sort of start over again. In a way, it was good for writing because I could start from scratch. There was more time all of a sudden. There was not, like, 'Let's record an album because we've gotta get back on the road.' We had time all of a sudden. So this is what makes the new album interesting. In a way, it feels like a debut album because it has had life. We had to live with ideas for years. And that's how debut albums are with bands, 'cause bands are out touring and they have written the songs and they live with them, they play them. And it feels a bit like that. It feels fresh, this new EUROPE album."

In March, Joey told El Expreso Del Rock that the musical direction of the upcoming EUROPE LP won't be similar to that of "Walk The Earth" and "War Of Kings". He said: "No, it'll move on. It'll be a new adventure. But I realize, hearing some of the demos we make now, that it's really strong, [with] great melodies. Some of it's really heavy as well. But there's also some connection to the past.

"I'm writing with everyone," he revealed. "I'm writing with John [Norum, guitar], I'm writing with John [Levén, bass] and Mic [Michaeli, keyboards]. And there's beautiful melodies there as well. I'm really excited. There's some great songs coming on. And it's been a while, so we've had time to live with the music, almost like a debut album, almost like the first album, because we have years to live with the songs. We know some of them are really strong because they have staying power; they've stayed for years now. So yeah, this could be an interesting album.

"Yeah, we just like to go on our own adventure, but always carry your past with you," he explained. "That's the thing."

In September 2023, EUROPE released a new song titled "Hold Your Head Up". The track, which was described by the band as "a punchy uptempo rocker with reminiscent elements of early EUROPE," was recorded in August 2023 at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm with producer Klas Åhlund (GHOST, ROBYN) and was mixed by Stefan Glaumann (RAMMSTEIN, DEF LEPPARD),who also mixed EUROPE's "Secret Society" album.

Joey talked to Metal Global about the musical direction of "Hold Your Head Up", which has been described as a combination of the classic EUROPE sound and the band's more recent, bluesier approach. The singer said: "I think it's a good mixture in the song. We never really set out to do that. It was an idea I had, and I sent it to the guys and everybody was, like, 'Yeah, that's great. Let's do that.' So, it's a natural progression, but I think you're right. I think it's a little bit of some melodies, especially in the verses, in the end of the verses there, there's melodies that remind you of some of the earlier stuff. But maybe the chorus and the riff a little bit, it's also quite fresh and more modern, I suppose. So yeah, it's got a bit of everything, but it still sounds like EUROPE, which is really cool."

"Hold Your Head Up" was made available to stream and download on September 29, 2023 across all reputable digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple, iTunes, Amazon Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora and YouTube Music.

"Walk The Earth" was released in October 2017 via Hell & Back Recordings (Silver Lining Music). It was recorded at famed Abbey Road Studios in London with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (RIVAL SONS, Shooter Jennings, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton).

Photo credit: Andy Ford (courtesy of Chris Hewlett PR)