Eurovision Song Contest 2026, everything is ready for the final. Twenty-five competing countries will take to the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle in Austria, along with legendary super guests and an Italy dreaming of a breakthrough with Sal Da Vinci and the song "Per sempre sì."

The show will be broadcast on Rai 1 in prime time, with commentary by veteran Gabriele Corsi (at his sixth appearance) and Elettra Lamborghini, making her debut as a commentator. It will be preceded by the Eurovision Preview at 8:35 pm, which will lead the audience to the show with backstage stories from Vienna and guest speakers. Twenty-five countries will compete at the Wiener Stadthalle, welcomed by hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski: the twenty countries that qualified during the two evenings of Tuesday and Thursday, plus the Big Four (the founding countries that qualify directly for the final: France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom), and the host country (Austria).

The official lineup of the final

Here's the full release schedule:

Denmark, Søren Torpegaard Lund, Før Vi Går Hjem
Germany, Sarah Engels, Fire
Israel, Noam Bettan, Michelle
Belgium, Essyla, Dancing on the Ice
Albania, Alis, Nân
Greece, Akylas, Ferto
Ukraine, Leléka, Ridnym
Australia, Delta Goodrem, Eclipse
Serbia, Lavina, Kraj Mene
Malta, Aidan, Bella
Czech Republic, Daniel Zizka, Crossroads
Bulgaria, Dara, Bangaranga
Croatia, Lelek, Andromeda
United Kingdom, Look Mum No Computer, Eins, Zwei, Dre
France, Monroe, Look!
Moldova, Satoshi, Long live Moldova!
Finland, Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, Liekinheitin
Poland, Alicja, Bray
Lithuania, Lion Ceccah, Only I want more
Sweden, Felicia, My System
Cyprus, Antigoni, Jalla
Italy, Sal Da Vinci, Forever Yes
Norway, Jonas Lovv, Ya Ya Ya
Romania, Alexandra Căpitănescu, Choke Me
Austria, Cosmo, Tanzschein

The favorites: who can really win

According to international bookmakers, the clear favorite remains Finland, with the duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who continue to dominate the odds with "Liekinheitin." With a powerful performance and impressive staging, they are considered by many to be the strongest of the edition, with a roughly 43% chance of winning. Australia's Delta Goodrem with "Eclipse" has made a comeback in the final hours, followed by Greece's Akylas ("Ferto"), Israel's Noam Bettan ("Michelle"), Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund ("For You Går Hjem"), Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu ("Choke Me"), and Bulgaria's DARA ("Bangaranga").

For Italy, the odds have changed a lot in recent weeks.

Thanks to the Italian nostalgia effect, social media, rehearsals, and of course Tuesday's live performance, the Sanremo winner has climbed to the point of being considered a potential Top 5 contender . The most interesting fact concerns the televoting, where Sal Da Vinci—who sang fourth to last, historically a very favorable position because it remains fresh in the memory of European televoters— could garner enormous support, especially in Switzerland, Belgium, Malta, Germany, and among Italian communities scattered throughout Europe.

The jury

The winner of the seventieth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be decided by a 50% vote from national juries and 50% from the public, including the "Rest of the World" vote from non-participating countries, which counts as one additional country. Among the 35 spokespeople for the national juries, broadcasting live from their respective capitals, will be Maria Sole Pollio, a Neapolitan actress and presenter, who will announce Italy's 12 points—her first time in the role.

(Unioneonline/D)

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