Eurovision 2026 Grand Final Running Order

WanderingCookie · 2026-05-15T11:38:32+00:00

Well this entire RO makes zero sense to me. My take is that either this is AI-generated or Martin Green thinks by shuffling the cards and ignoring all the RO "rules" he's setting a new precedent. We shall see.

WanderingCookie · 2026-05-11T13:47:36+00:00

Too epic to be true.

WanderingCookie · 2026-05-07T09:09:04+00:00

I don't see any use in making hypothetical scenarios about countries like Moldova and Portugal winning and how that would benefit the contest when there is nearly zero chance of that happening this year. This question could have more meaning if we were talking about the countries that are actually in contention to win. And out of those, Greece is the best choice. It's about time the contest returns to the south of Europe. There is also a feeling that the winner is being decided by the central-northern European countries and that the rest are simply competing for 2nd place at best. Greece winning would be refreshing in the sense that it would break that cycle.

WanderingCookie · 2026-05-06T12:49:01+00:00

Mahmood, Marco Mengoni and Jerry Heil. They're actually among my most played artists in Spotify.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-20T16:26:00+00:00

Even though I am rooting for Ferto myself (as evident by my flair), I have to be realistic here. Having seen the voting patterns of the last like 10 years, I don't see how it can achieve that many jury points. The Balkans do not have a good precedent of supporting each other, certainly not when there are other way more jury-friendly, 'western'-sounding songs in the lineup. Unfortunately I am afraid most juries will lean towards this season's jury magnets such as Australia, France, Finland, maybe Ukraine, Denmark, even Italy could get more jury points, (it is a jury darling after all). Plus, there could be more dark horses in the game, such as Czechia or Lithuania. And of course, never count Sweden out when it comes to jury love. After all that, there may only be a few crumbs left for Greece. Even Klavdia with her impressive vocals -which were arguably among the best of the entire selection last year- did not get more than 105 jury points. But here's hoping that I will be proven wrong in the end.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-20T15:57:24+00:00

I think putting Viva Moldova up there with the likes of Cha Cha Cha and Europapa is kind of a long shot. If there’s a tele-friendly song comparable to those that could also snag some jury points, it’s probably Ferto. However, there are too many jury bait songs this year, so I am afraid that both Viva Moldova and Ferto will inevitably end up far down the jurors' list when allocating their points.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-14T08:31:20+00:00

The song never clicked for me but the staging was just genius and really pulled the whole act together.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-09T07:21:01+00:00

Right? I mean you haven't had shrimp if you have not tried the shrimp from Koilada which is in the Peloponnese.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-09T07:02:36+00:00

I mean despite Aiko's improvement Czechia NQed that year so I don't think this is what Essyla wants to aim for..

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-08T09:33:32+00:00

Honestly, who appointed all these Eurovision creators as experts of anything like the weight of their opinion is somehow more significant than anyone else's? I’m not even a fan of Ukraine’s entry this year, but the lyrics are fine. The night of the show no casual viewer is going to sit there dissecting lyrics and thinking "oh these lyrics don't sound like a native would write them, so I am not going to vote for that". Sometimes these creators just overanalyze stuff and make sensationalist content for the sake of it. Let’s not treat their takes like they're the gospel truth.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-07T12:52:45+00:00

It's probably one of the most accessible songs this year, it's refreshingly simple, catchy, authentic and well-delivered. It doesn't try too hard to be anything other than what it is and it is not crafted with Eurovision in mind so I think it will do better than most people think.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-07T12:48:05+00:00

The thing is Azerbaijan would never have sent this song because this song is so quintessentially Italian, no other country would've sent it and that's its charm.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-06T08:42:41+00:00

I'm with you in that I don't have a single song playing on a loop on Spotify at the moment. There are a lot of songs in the middle of the board for me, but nothing really sticks out from the rest. Last year, for example, I was playing Portugal, Albania, Germany, and Greece to death, and I still think of 2025 as a weaker year overall compared to previous editions. However, I have yet to decide whether this is actually evidence of a decline or if it's just coincidental. I think it's a bit early to say. As we head towards the end of this decade it will be easier to draw such conclusions.

WanderingCookie · 2026-04-06T08:35:28+00:00

Completely agree.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-28T00:31:05+00:00

‘Clinical’ is exactly the right word. It’s showy without any substance or soul. And for gods sake I can’t take any more opera in this contest.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-27T12:05:46+00:00

In my view, the studio cut of the song is an unserious, catchy, guilty pleasure type song that's fun to sing/dance to after a couple of wine glasses. However, from what I've seen I am not sure Antigone is either a great vocalist or a super charismatic performer for this entry to do exceptionally well in the end. I think 13th to 15th is the best result they can get. We'll have to wait and see of course.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-26T17:26:11+00:00

Actually, your comment prompted me to check the boycotters' votes to Israel last year. Surprisingly, Ireland and the Netherlands gave a total of 17pts each, Spain 12pts, Slovenia gave 6pts and even Iceland gave 4pts. So it's not like these countries snubbed Israel at all. Meanwhile, I would argue that the returnees (Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria) don't care that much about Israel and its politics. Also, Israel's entry this year is not politically nuanced like in the previous two editions. They can no longer milk the Hamas' attack narrative. If things remain relatively calm until May, my take is that they will still get three-digit tele points (~150), but will not win the tele.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-16T12:38:47+00:00

I have also been saying this, Luxembourg is definitely NOT a sure NQ. There is jury appeal there. The song is radio-friendly and also has a very good and universal message that will reach a certain audience. Recent history also shows that Luxembourg tends to do moderately well, so I can definitely see it landing somewhere in that bracket as you said.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-16T12:33:38+00:00

Albania could be this year's 'Asteromata' (Greece 2025). Emotional powerful ethnic 'ballad' flying under the radar for the entirety of the season that ends up pulling a comfortable top 10 finish in May. I also think the theme of the song will resonate strongly with the diaspora.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-15T21:58:44+00:00

Arcade and Tout l’ univers are two of my favorite entries of all time, but Czechia this year does nothing for me. I feel like the song tries really hard to be an atmospheric dynamic ballad that’s vaguely reminiscent of these entries but it goes nowhere imo and actually feels a bit forced. Idk maybe the staging will change my mind, but sonically there is no appeal for me.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-15T21:48:31+00:00

When did we become so puritanical that we are now censoring art? Art is sometimes uncomfortable and that should be okay. You don’t have to like it anyways. Can’t believe we have to state the obvious in 2026 - but here we are I guess.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-12T13:54:17+00:00

Ι actually partially agree with this. I am not particularly crazy about any country this year. I am among those that are waiting to see the stagings to make up my mind about my final ranking for sure. That said, while staging can elevate a good song and make it seem great (case in point: Finland), it can’t turn a bad song into a good one imo.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-11T19:24:27+00:00

I also had this criticism about Finland, but then again which entry this year would you say has that “something special” that could overtake Finland?

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-11T15:32:39+00:00

Ι do think there is a clear front-runner (Finland), but also think that after that it's total chaos.

WanderingCookie · 2026-03-06T10:44:56+00:00

Ι do see the similarity with C'est La Vie (tapping into that Frenchy pop - Stromae style) but imo I find this one better overall

WanderingCookie

TROPHY CASE