Eurovision 2026 is a two-horse race – but one underdog deserves to win

Last year, Austrian act JJ won the Eurovision Song Contest, but tonight a new country will walk away with the coveted trophy.

Although the 2026 competition has been plagued by controversy following the boycott of five countries over Israel’s participation, a total of 35 still signed up to compete.

Even before the singing started, frontrunners had already emerged – with Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen emerging as favourites to win, a position they still hold… for now.

The odds for other acts have been moving around in the days since they performed in the semi-finals, with Australia, Greece and Israel now close contenders.

Ahead of the Grand Final tonight, I sat in on a dress rehearsal in Vienna on Friday afternoon, along with other journalists from around the world.

While I had my favourites going into this year’s competition, after watching the full performances, a few surprised me, some let me down, and several have left me torn about who I actually want to win. It was an incredibly difficult task, but these are the top acts I’d love to see come out victorious.

Moldova

After a one-year absence, Moldova has returned to the Eurovision stage with a bang. This year, the country’s act is rapper and singer Satoshi, whose song Viva, Moldova! features lyrics in Romanian, Italian, Latin, English, Spanish, French, and Hawaiian.

A celebration of national identity and culture, the song is also lively, infectious, and so damn catchy. Meanwhile, the staging is deceptively simple – he’s on stage performing with a band and backing singers, while animated images and lyrics appear on the screen behind them, encouraging people to sing along too – a genius move when presenting a song with so many languages.

It’s clear the musician is incredibly passionate about his country and culture, but his energetic approach to performing is what has stuck in my mind and made this one of my stand-out songs this year.

While it currently sits 13^th in the odds to win, I’d love to see Moldova soar up the leaderboard and perhaps pull off a surprise.

Australia

When Delta Goodrem was announced as Australia’s act this year, the country went wild.

Over the past 23 years, the singer-songwriter has become a national treasure, notable for appearing on the soap opera Neighbours while her debut album Innocent Eyes holds the title of the second-best-selling Australian album of all time.

While she’s had supporters globally for years, she’s picked up millions more fans who have been impressed by her stage presence and hugely powerful voice.

Her song Eclipse is exactly the sort of power ballad that Eurovision juries and viewers flock to, but after her first live performance on Thursday night, she left many stunned and was named as a genuine contender to favourites Finland after her flawless performance.

I was moved to tears watching her on stage, as many others clearly were, as she’s now the second favourite to win this year. For somewhat selfish reasons, too, as an Australian, I’d love to see us take out our first win ever.

Finland

It was only two weeks ago that I decided to listen to the full 1-hour, 43-minute playlist of all of this year’s songs and heard Liekinheitin for the first time.

While I’d heard that Finnish violinist Linda Lampenius and singer-songwriter Pete Parkkonen were favourites to win, it was admittedly only when watching them live that I understood the hype.

Although I had the benefit of a Finnish friend to explain the meaning behind the song, I felt a visceral reaction even before knowing what it’s about – the song is epic and dramatic, while the staging is just as attention-grabbing with fire going off around Linda as she gives her all into playing. This is especially impressive after she was given special permission to play live (which is usually not allowed in the contest).

In recent years, Finland has not messed around, sending memorable acts – Erika Vickman, Windows95man and Käärijä – with 2026 looking likely for them to cinch their first victory in 20 years after monster metal band Lordi won in 2006.

Albania

I was completely sleeping on Albania until hearing its song live, and I’ve since been playing it on repeat over the past day.

Last year, I was utterly obsessed with Zjerm by Shkodra Elektronike – which placed eighth. Although I’m unsure Albania will win this year, they still deserve another placing in The Top 10 at least.

The song Nân was written and is sung by Alis, who won X Factor in his home country in 2024.

Sung in Albanian, the musician has explained that the track is a ‘ballad for awaiting mothers, for children who leave, and for the eternal love, beyond time and distance’. The Eurovision staging sees him performing solo on stage and then being circled by a woman playing a maternal figure, with many viewers saying it left them ‘in tears’.

The orchestral ballad is bold and powerful, yet also heartfelt. Sharing a translation of the lyrics on screen for viewers also adds an extra way to truly connect with the song, being able to understand exactly what is being said. This song and performance completely moved me. He is currently predicted to finish in 16^th place.

Italy

Last year, Lucio Corsi left me in tears (sense a theme here?) watching him perform Volevo essere un duro.

As one of the Big Five (or four this year), Italy automatically qualifies each year but never fails to send acts to prove its worth.

While I was aware singer Sal Da Vinci is huge in his home country, I incorrectly assumed his music wouldn’t quite be up my alley (and maybe instead something my grandmothers would gravitate to) – but boy was I wrong.

Per sempre sì has been billed as a ‘hymn to universal love’. Over the years, Eurovision has become known for boundary-pushing acts and attention- grabbing staging, but Italy’s entry this year completely captivated me with its timelessness. It’s also currently placed 8^th in the odds.

As Sal sings on stage, a story plays out behind him as a young couple prepares for their wedding, with a brilliant dress reveal ending up in a massive Italian flag being unfurled. The song and staging are elegant and a throwback to classic Italian films that I grew up watching with my grandmothers – offering a sense of nostalgia while also feeling modern and fresh.

Other honourable mentions also go to Greece, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Croatia and France.

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final airs tonight from 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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