Horse racing expert David Massey is also a staunch Eurovision enthusiast and he's taken time away from the track to bring you a betting guide to the annual song contest!
And so, my friends, it's that time of the year again. Seems to come around quicker every year. Yes, the 2026 Eurovision Final takes place in Vienna this weekend and to make the experience slightly less painless, here's my A-Z guide to this year's runners and riders....
Eurovision betting tips
0.5pts e/w Czechia to win at 80/1 (1,2,3,4, BetMGM)
1pt e/w Romania to win at 18/1 (1,2,3,4 Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
2pts Czechia to finish Top 10 at 7/2 (William Hill, 888 Sport)
2pts United Kingdom to finish last at 6/4 (General)
Albania
- Alis - Nan
Alis goes for something that falls between power ballad and operatic in this mean and moody ditty, but despite a promising opening, it never gets off the ground. “You’ll cry a little, and then forget”, go the lyrics. I’d say that’s about right. Particularly the forgetting bit. There’s better in here.
Australia
- Delta Goodrem - Eclipse
After a few years of getting battered/not qualifying for the final Australia turn to a fully-fledged superstar in Delta Goodrem, who, as you might expect, turns in a polished performance with a song about everyone’s favourite Group 1 at Sandown. Only kidding. But here’s the weird thing - you’d expect this to maybe sound a cut above, given the pedigree, but it doesn’t, it just sounds like Europop. Good stage show, but all in all, just looks underpriced in an open field, and stall 8 for the final is no help either.
Austria
- Cosmo - Tanzschein
Last year’s winners went with a wonderfully operatic pop number that veered between bonkers and brilliance, so you’d might have expected them to stick with that tried and tested formula now. They don’t. This is pretty bog-standard Europop, complete with a man in a silver goats head, and another that appears to be wearing tinfoil. They clearly didn’t fancy staging it again next year. Sung in German too - gotta go back to Nicole in 1982 to find the last time that paid off. Going last might just help them avoid the wooden spoon, though.
Belgium
- Essyla - Dancing On The Ice
Bits of this remind me of Hot Chip, which is no bad thing, and the understated bassline that runs through it gives it oomph; she struggled a bit with this live in rehearsals, her voice tailing off at times, but it was much better in the semi-final and she appears to be growing in confidence. Got herself here after appearing on Belgium’s version of The Voice. Wonder if their version of Tom Jones kept telling the audience he’d met Elvis as many times as he did here. Best of the three-figure outsiders.
Bulgaria
- Dara - Bangaranga
Game of two halves here, Brian. “No one’s gonna sleep tonight, welcome to the riot!” trills Dara in a skirt that’s one for the Dads, surrounded by pretty young things dancing their heads off. This high-tempo thriller bounces along in grand fashion, the “bangaranga” chorus as catchy as hell, and there’s some Mediterranean shade thrown in the tune in for good measure. Judges will hate it; the public will love it, and the televote alone should see this Top 10.
Croatia
- Lelek - Andromeda
Croatia have tended to struggle in recent times - Baby Lasagna in 2024 the honourable exception to that rule - and to be honest, hard to see how they’re going to fare much better with all-female five-piece Lelek, who go Goth-lite with a drum-heavy ditty that’ll have you reaching for the aspirin long before the death. They did up their game in the semi-final, and the stage show was impressive, but all the same, there are others that are better.
Cyprus
- Antigoni - Jalla
It’s been mid-table obscurity (or as per last year, failing to qualify for the final) for Cyprus for some time now, and this Med-inspired dance offering, whilst pleasant enough to listen to, does little to elevate itself among the other dance tunes in this year’s event. Good semi-final performance elevated it a bit, though, and the four ladies dancing her in not that much clothing is going to push it forward too. Cracking draw in 21 for the final, and a top 10 place is not out of the question.
Czechia
- Daniel Zizka - Crossroads
Whereas Austria haven’t followed their own winning formula this year, Czechia listened hard and have their best chance of a first top-5 finish with Crossroads, an ethereal ballad performed by Daniel Zizka. Daniel’s voice ranges from soprano to pop to easily, and boy can he hold a note. As dark as JJ’s winner last year “Wasted Love” , it’s thoughtful, if a touch overwrought, but produced very well. Bound to do well with juries, and in a field full of dance-heavy bangers this year, this could stand out. Keep this onside in top 5/10 markets.
Denmark
Soren Torpegaard Lund - For Vi Gar Hjem
Understated piece of trancey Europop that improves with each listen (yes, I listen to these more than once, I hope you appreciate the effort) and Soren‘s goth-lite imagery will go down well with young people. I was young once, and looked a bit like Soren, but without the see-through fishnet top. It’s decent this, one of the better pop numbers, and a lofty position in the win market is probably justified. If you’re after a negative, he sings in Danish - 1963 the last time the winner was sung in their home language. And they’ve drawn the dreaded Stall 1 for the final, an absolute killer.
Finland
Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkonnen - Liekinheitin
Here’s the jolly old favourite. Pete goes all mean and moody with a lot of warbling about fire and flamethrowers, whilst Linda, all flowing locks and even longer flowing dress, gives it the dramatics on the violin, the wind machines working overtime. It’s a hell of a stage show (I do hope they have done the necessary health and safety assessments, there’s a fair bit of fire about) that builds to a dramatic crescendo. Is this enough to carry it to victory? It’ll score well with both juries and televoters, but equally I can say that for about six or seven songs in here. Fared well with the trap draw in the final (compared to their main rivals) and that might see them home in front.
France
- Monroe - Regarde!
Seems the French are well fancied every year but come up just short, and I suspect it’s going to be a similar story with Monroe’s self-reflective Regarde!, a powerful ballad when she reaches and holds some top notes in impressive style, but it lacks any real joy to listen to. Worthy, then, and then juries will go for it, as the technicals are all there, but I can’t see this doing the job with the televoters. 1988 the last time we had a French-sung winner, and that was Celine Dion. And she wasn’t even representing France. Brazen.
Germany
- Sarah Engels - Fire
Much like the United Kingdom, Germany put plenty of money into the competition each year (one of the big four rather than five this year, with Spain missing) but get little back in return, with bottom-five finishes on no fewer than seven times from the last ten holdings of the contest. Sarah Engels aims to stop the rot with Fire, a perfectly acceptable piece of pop with a catchy “liar, liar, your pants are on fire, fire” chorus. Okay, it doesn’t quite say that, but it would have improved no end if it had. Hasn't fared well with the draw though, she's on second.
Greece
- Akylas - Ferto
They’ve picked up in recent times, have the Greeks, Top 10 finishes becoming the norm, and they’ve really gone for it this time with Akylas’s bonkers track “Ferto” - literally “bring it” - which manages to combine video-game imagery, some traditional Greek instrumental breaks, and yes, a happy hardcore loop that SL2 would have been proud of in their heyday, and somehow pulls it off. He wants it all, does Akylas, and there’s a lovely breakdown after a couple of minutes where he tells us he wants it all for his mum too, before a frenetic finish. The negatives are a horrendous Trap 5 draw for the final, and a mediocre stage show - there’s not a lot to look at. Should still do well, but he’s on the drift now, and not hard to see why.
Israel
- Noam Bettan - Michelle
Impossible to gloss over the fact that the Israel entry has seen politics creep into the competition again, on a few levels - countries have pulled out, and there were clearly audible audience protests in the semi-finals, but after last year when a block televote saw Israel leap to second, even that’s been tinkered with this year, with a maximum of ten paid votes per phone rather than twenty. Taking that aside, this ballad goes a bit all-over-the-place, sung in part English, part French and part Hebrew. That doesn’t help the song’s natural rhythm, and whilst Top 10 is virtually guaranteed on the televote alone, I can’t see it being good enough. Going third in the final isn’t going to help, either.
Italy
- Sal Da Vinci - Per Sempre Si
One of a couple of countries trying to remind us of Eurovisions past this year, Sal Da Vinci, not a million miles off his bus pass (but looking well for it…) performs this unashamedly nostalgic ballad well, but the question has to be asked as to whether we’ve moved on from the likes of this, and how much appetite there is out there for it. A real sea-change from what Italy have been producing the last few years, and I think this might struggle as a result, despite a good draw in the final.
Lithuania
- Lion Ceccah - Solo Quiero Mas
Top 15 finishes have become the norm for Lithuania and you can expect a similar story with Lion Ceccah. His initial stage image is a strange one - imagine Darth Vader if he’d walked through Claire’s - and the song itself doesn’t seem to know where to go, veering between orchestral, pop, and some power vocals at the end (when in truth, it gets a bit shakier again). I don’t see where this scores heavily enough, but they’ve enough friends to ensure that they aren’t anywhere near the wooden spoon.
Malta
- Aidan - Bella
He’s a good-looking lad, is Aidan, and he’s got what I’d call a very nostalgic, crooner-like voice; indeed, the song has a very familiar air about it, it’s like something Andy Williams might have sung in his pomp. That makes it stand out somewhat in the solo-singer stakes, many of the others having a more power-pop angle and after some of the noisemakers on show, this will come as a pleasant surprise. Sadly for him, though, he’s got the Czech lad on straight after, and his voice is much the better one.
Moldova
- Satoshi - Viva, Moldova!
Kicks off with panpipes, which immediately puts it on the back foot, in my opinion, but gets all shouty within seconds, Satoshi shouting the odds about how great their home country is. Pretty sure there’s some accordion in there too, it’s all over the shop, this. Hard to see who this is appealing to, apart from the good people of Moldova, and they can’t vote for their own. They haven’t thought this through, have they?
Norway
- Jonas Lovv - Ya Ya Ya
If the White Stripes have anything about them the writs will be landing on Jonas Lovv’s doorstep on the Monday morning after the contest. More than a hint of their bass-driven boomers on this three minutes of indie-lite that’s quite catchy, with the obligatory key-change for the last twenty. A LOT of tattoos. Good draw in the final should ensure he picks up the points, though.
Poland
- Alicja - Pray
Not often a Eurovision song kicks off with a church organ, but this one does. Alicja, dressed like Xena: Warrior Princess, has a powerful voice and delivers “Pray” with plenty of conviction, but the song lacks any direction, veering between too many genres, and gets lost pretty quickly. Might be an uphill struggle.
Romania
- Alexandra Capitanescu - Choke Me
I say, steady on, old girl. Pop-metal banger with a chorus the crowd will be singing along with, Alexandra’s voice has some quite operatic overtones to it, which in some ways don’t fit with the shouty nature of the song, but she bulldozes through it all with her sheer power. Did it well on Thursday night to qualify, an all-action stage show doing some heavy lifting. Leans more towards the televoters than the juries, but a cracking draw in 24 is going to make this stick in people’s minds, and it should be Top 5.
Serbia
- Lavina - Kraj Mene
Serbia go mean, moody and metal with this dark, menacing number, all pouting and posing, but the stop-start nature of the guitar work means it’s a tough listen, and then it gets tougher still; two minutes in he literally starts shouting, growling, and it all gets a bit farcical. There’s just nothing here that you’ll enjoy, bar the leather outfits if that’s your sort of thing. Just too noisy, and without any melody.
Sweden
- Felicia - My System
Performs in a face mask, work that one out. Good use of lasers in the stage show and this comes in strong, threatening to turn into an electronic banger within the first thirty seconds but again, too many little breakdowns mean the song constantly has to rebuild, and for all it fizzes with energy throughout, all in all it just falls short. A shame, as there’s a cracking tune in here, if only it had been produced better.
Ukraine
- Leleka - Ridnym
Top 10 finishes have become the norm for Ukraine in recent times, winning it back in 2022, but they might struggle to repeat the dose with this ballad by Leleka, which struggles to get off the ground. Sung mainly in English with the chorus in her native tongue, it warbles along with its metaphorical nature-based lyrics without ever catching fire. It’s fine, and there’s a lot worse in here, but it doesn’t strike me as one that’s going to be challenging for the gold medal.
United Kingdom
- Look Mum No Computer - Eins, Zwei, Drei
And finally, in so many respects, we come to the United Kingdom. Look Mum No Computer, presumably a Thomas Dolby tribute act when he’s not doing Eurovision, dishes up this three minutes of half-pop half-electronica nonsense with lyrics that make little sense, (rhyming “okey-dokey” with “pepperoni”? What are you TALKING about?) wishing he was German rather than English, it appears to me. Won’t appeal to judges, won’t appeal to voters. “This has no merits whatsoever”, said my wife on a first (and last) listen. She’s not wrong. A moderate draw in 14 for the final literally means this gets lost in the middle. Look Mum No Points, more like.
Summary and bets
Just when you think you’ve got it solved, the draw for the final is made and throws it all into the air again….
Make no mistake here, with four of the five well-fancied countries in the betting - Denmark, Israel, Australia and Greece, all drawn in the first eight for the final, it makes predicting the Top 3 a lot more difficult than it was. Typically, countries that go early do not do so well in the Televote, as the public have long forgotten them by the time voting begins, tending to go with countries that performed in the latter half. Recency bias, it’s called, but you knew that anyway.
It probably hands a big advantage to the even-money favourites Finland, drawn in 17 for the final, but before you go steaming in, remember Sweden were a similar price last year and didn’t even make the podium. And they went 23rd, which supposedly handed it to them on a plate. No such thing as a good thing in Eurovision.
Cross-genre is the new thing, darling, and if you can throw a tinge of opera at it, so much the better. Last year’s winner Wasted Love, 2024’s winner The Code and even, to an extent, Tattoo in 2023 all had it, and if there’s one in here that could surprise it’s Czechia’s Daniel Zizka with Crossroads.
He performed it superbly in the semi-final on Thursday, an understated stage-show helping the simple yet very effective nature of this powerful song. He can sing, and sing well, and it’s only a pity he wasn’t drawn straight after the three-minute metal din that is Serbia - the contrast would have been stunning, and would have made it stand out. As it is, he’s got the Maltese entry between them, but his voice is the much stronger anyway and should still come through. Being drawn 11th isn’t the best, but neither is it a catastrophe - Portugal in 2017 and Austria in 2014 both defied it to win, and it’s just how we play him to make the most out of him.
Romania’s Alexandra Capitanescu turned in a power-pop performance with her “Choke Me” (she says it’s metaphorical and not literal, yeah we believe you…) in the semi-final on Thursday, a decent stage show helping it along, and she has a plum draw for the final in 24 with just the dreadful Austrian dirge to follow it home. Do I think it’s one of the best three songs out there? No, but that draw really does swing the televote their way, and it’ll pick up more than enough points from the juries as it goes along. That gives them a chance of upsetting the caruta cu mere. (Romanian for applecart. No I didn’t look it up, I knew it anyway.)
You know what, it’s very easy to knock the United Kingdom’s entry, Look Mum No Computer, so I will. It’s bloody awful; it’s almost like we’ve said “you know what, we know we aren’t winning, so this’ll do.” When I first started listening to these songs a fortnight ago (the therapy isn’t cheap) I thought there were five possible contenders for the wooden spoon; two of them didn’t make it through the semi-finals. Austria being last on, along with home advantage, should just about see them with enough points to avoid it; Germany never do well and going second is a kick in the teeth, so it looks a match between them and the UK for last. But I listened to the German song again and reminded myself it really isn’t a bad song; ours is, and that, my friends is enough. I think we’ll finish last and I’d certainly have us nearer evens to do so than the 6-4 on offer.