Each year, Eurovision brings together a legion of music fans in front of their screens. Following the 2025 edition crowned by Austrian artist JJ, the European Song Contest returns this spring. After two semi-finals staged on May 12 and 14, the Grand Final of Eurovision promises to be unmissable on Saturday, May 16, 2026. As always, the event will be broadcast live on France 2, from Vienna, Austria.
Since the airing of the first semi-final and then the second semi-final, the ranking of the favourites has shifted. France, for instance, is no longer in the Top 5 and has slipped to 9th place. By contrast, according to bettors, Australia now stands a 15% chance of winning and sits in second position. Finland remains at the head of the favourites, with 44% of votes. So, who will come out on top in this new edition of Eurovision? Does France have a shot? A few hours before the grand final, here are the 5 favourites of this 2026 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, according to the bookmakers.
« Liekinheitin », the song by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen —the Finnish representatives—appears to be winning over viewers. Since the track was unveiled, the Nordic duo has surged to the front of the bookmakers’ odds. As of May 15, 2026, the pair hold a 44% chance of clinching the contest. Even better, they’re seen as 63% likely to finish in the Top 3. The question now is whether the bookmakers have read the field correctly and if the duo formed by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen will be crowned this year’s grand winner.
Linda Lampenius et Pete Parkkonen sont déjà bien connus chez eux en Finlande. D'un côté, Linda Lampenius est une violoniste classique particulièrement en vue. À huit ans à peine, elle intègre l’orchestre Helsinki Junior Strings, puis, sous le nom de scène Linda Brava, elle part en tournées en Amérique du Nord, en Europe et en Asie pendant son adolescence. Depuis, la musicienne a publié plusieurs albums solo qui ont trouvé leur public en Finlande, en Suède et au Royaume-Uni. De l'autre, le chanteur Pete Parkkonen s’est fait connaître du grand public grâce à l’émission de télé-réalité Idols, où il a terminé à la troisième place en 2008. Depuis, il a publié plusieurs albums.
For the 70th edition of Eurovision, the two artists have come together to showcase their talents with the song "Liekinheitin", a vibrant fusion of rock, classical music, and dance.
This year, at Eurovision's 70th edition, Australia has decided to back Delta Goodrem and her track "Eclipse".
Australian singer-songwriter, pianist and actress Delta Goodrem was discovered in 2002 while acting in the Australian soap Neighbours. The artist wasted little time releasing her debut album, Innocent Eyes, in 2003. Since then, Delta Goodrem has issued six more records. Demonstrating her star power in Australia, she has scored eight No. 1 singles in her homeland from her three studio albums. This spring, Delta Goodrem has been chosen to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Just hours before the grand final, Delta Goodrem has moved into second place in the bookmakers’ odds, with a 15% chance of winning the contest and a 45% chance of finishing in the top three.
In third place, the Greek contestant Akylas now sits in position, with an 8% shot at clinching victory this year. So, Akylas—will he manage to climb to the top of the podium with his song Ferto? It’s still too early to tell. But according to bookmakers, the Greek representative also has a 30% chance of breaking into the Top 3.
Know that Akylas first made a name for himself in Greece in 2021 with his cover videos published on TikTok. Later, the young artist took part in the eighth season of The Voice of Greece. A self-taught musician from Serres, Akylas crafts a multicultural, contemporary sound that carries a distinct Greek identity. This spring, in a bid to stand out, the Greek singer will perform the track "Ferto".
There is no French text to translate here—the block is just an HTML paragraph embedding a YouTube video. The structure stays the same, and no translation is needed. If you’d like, I can add a journalistic caption in English around it, while preserving the HTML structure.Since advancing to the first Eurovision semi-final, Israel has been gaining ground and climbing into the top five among favorites according to bookmakers. Noam Bettan now sits in fourth place in the betting, with a 6% chance of winning the contest and a 29% chance of making the Top 3.
We note that Noam Bettan was born into a French family. But it was in Ra'anana, Israel, that he grew up. A singer, songwriter, and performer, Noam Bettan released his debut album in 2023, along with a string of singles that have racked up millions of plays on streaming platforms. This Saturday, the artist will perform the song Michelle.
Romania breaks into the bookmakers' Top 5 favorites, now sitting in fifth place with a 4% shot at winning the contest, thanks to its representative Alexandra Căpitănescu and her song "Choke Me".
It was in 2023 that the singer made a name for herself in her native country by winning 'The Voice of Romania'. A few months later, the artist released her debut EP, titled "Căpitanu’". Born in 2003, the young vocalist is notably passionate about rock. During her appearance on the eleventh season of "The Voice of Romania", Alexandra Căpitănescu delivered her blind audition by performing "Welcome to the Jungle", the Guns N' Roses classic.
For the 70th edition of Eurovision, Alexandra Căpitănescu has gone with a track that blends rock and operatic singing, titled « Choke Me ». Will this song push her onto the podium? The answer comes this Saturday!
So, can we trust the bookmakers? Will the Finnish entry win the 2026 edition of the Eurovision? We’ll know the answer on May 16.
As a reminder, in 2021, bookmakers had predicted Italy's Måneskin to win, with France's Barbara Pravi closely behind. Their predictions proved accurate, as Italy and France finished first and second respectively. In 2023, the Swedish contender Loreen also topped bookmakers' forecasts, while the flamboyant Käärijä came in second with his hit "Cha Cha Cha." Again, the outcome matched expectations. However, in 2024, the bookmakers were way off. They had favored Baby Lasagna to win, but it was ultimately the Swiss artist Nemo who took home the victory. A similar misjudgment occurred in 2023, when La Zarra, the French contestant predicted to finish third, ultimately landed in 16th place. Last year, bettors backed the Swedish band KAJ, but it was the Austrian artist JJ who swept the competition. So, anything can still happen and shake things up!
Eurovision 2026: the running order for the 25 finalist countries, where does France come in?
We finally know the 25 countries that will battle it out this Saturday, May 16, 2026 in Vienna for the grand final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. So when is Monroe, France’s representative, scheduled to perform? Here’s the running order for every country. [Read more]
Following two nail-biting semifinals, the 25 finalists for Eurovision’s 70th edition are finally known. Everyone is ready to go head-to-head this Saturday, May 16, 2026, in the grand final. We’ll hear them in music! [Read more]
While 25 countries have booked their place in the grand final of Eurovision 2026, ten contestants failed to impress and will therefore miss the final stage of the competition scheduled for this Saturday, May 16. Here is the list of the 10 countries not chosen for the final of the 70th Eurovision edition. [Read more]
Eurovision makes its return this spring for a brand-new 70th edition! While some are among the favorites, will France clinch a podium spot thanks to Monroe and her song "Regarde!"? Tune in on Saturday, May 16, 2026 for the Eurovision grand final. But what time, and on which channels can you watch this big musical night live? We’ve got all the details. [Read more]
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Eurovision 2026: the running order for the 25 finalist countries, where does France come in?
Eurovision 2026: meet the 25 finalist countries vying for a spot this Saturday
Eurovision 2026 : the 10 countries that didn't make the final
Eurovision 2026: what time does the final start, and which channels will broadcast it?
