Key takeaways
- Nearly 34,000 healthcare professionals attended ESC Congress 2026, demonstrating the growing significance and influence of cardiovascular medicine.
- More than 180 studies were simultaneously published in leading scientific journals.
- Three new ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines, the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction, and major clinical trials were unveiled.
- ESC Congress 2027 will take place in Milan, Italy.
Sophia Antipolis, 2 September 2026: A total of 33,800 healthcare professionals from 170 countries participated in ESC Congress 2026, the largest ever flagship meeting of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). This year’s congress took place in Munich, Germany, and focused on the spotlight theme of
Artificial Intelligence.
"ESC Congress 2026 highlighted that artificial intelligence is no longer a future concept but a reality in everyday cardiovascular healthcare. The serious question is how we can use it well as a co-pilot," Prof.
Tomasz Guzik, ESC Congress Programme Committee Chair said.
The congress featured more than 1,750 sessions covering the latest developments in cardiovascular science and patient care. Highlights included practice-changing findings presented in
12 Hot Line sessions and 30 Late-Breaking Science sessions. Three
ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines were released, along with the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction, created in collaboration with the ACC, AHA and World Heart Federation.
"The scientific community's response to ESC Congress 2026 was truly outstanding. I would like to thank colleagues worldwide for this! We received a record number of trial submissions, with almost 700 entries from 125 countries. In addition, more than 180 studies were published simultaneously in leading scientific journals, underlining the congress's pivotal role in advancing cardiovascular science," Prof. Guzik added.
ESC Congress 2026 generated extensive international media coverage, resulting in thousands of news articles worldwide. More than 230 journalists attended onsite, while a further 120 followed the congress virtually. Trending topics included:
The European Society of Cardiology now looks ahead to a new chapter under the leadership of President
Cecilia Linde, President-Elect
Filippo Crea and Past-President
Thomas F. Lüscher.
ESC Congress 2027 will take place in Milan, Italy, from 27 to 30 August 2027.
Find out more about the congress and upcoming ESC subspecialty events on our
website.