ESC celebrates record-breaking attendance for world's largest cardiology conference
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) broke all previous attendance records with ESC Congress 2026, its annual meeting in Munich, Germany. Approximately 33,800 healthcare professionals from 170 countries participated, making it arguably the largest cardiology conference in the world.
By comparison, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) had less than half that number of attendees for ACC.26, its own 2026 annual meeting. The American Heart Association (AHA), meanwhile, had approximately 12,700 total attendees at its 2025 meeting in November.
"The scientific community's response to ESC Congress 2026 was truly outstanding," Professor Tomasz Guzik, ESC Congress Program Committee Chair, said in a statement. "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."
ESC said the numbers show its growing significance and influence in the world cardiovascular medicine. Backing this was the extensive international media coverage from more than 230 journalists attended onsite, with another 120 following the congress remotely.
ESC Congress 2026 focused on the spotlight theme of artificial intelligence and its growing influence both in research and clinical practice. It included more than 1,750 sessions covering the latest developments in cardiovascular science and patient care. This included practice-changing findings presented in 12 Hot Line sessions and 30 late-breaking science sessions. ESC also released three new clinical practice guidelines, along with the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction, created in collaboration with the ACC, AHA and World Heart Federation.
ESC Congress 2027 will take place in Milan, Italy.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]