Eurovision 2026: My Rankings

This is the first time Belgium has ended up in the bottom quarter for me, and it went directly for the last place. I don't mind this song much but it never evoked any feelings for me. The studio version is somewhat enjoyable but the live I was not a fan of at all - to me it was the worst performance in the semi final so when it qualified, I was quite shocked. I would give her one thing though, she improved her vocals a lot between when she first performed it live and the Eurovision week. I don't want to be overly harsh to it and can see why some might like it but for a song called Dancing on the Ice, there wasn't much dancing.

Once again, France tries too hard for scoring a win. With the success of Nemo and JJ, both with opera in their winning songs, France sends Monroe with an even more operatic and more French song. Part of the reason for my dislike of this song is how manufactured and soul-less it is, it doesn't feel authentic. The lyrics as well are bland and unimaginative. I am trying to think of good things to say about this song and I can't find anything.

The only good element here is Monroe with her incredible talent and powerful voice, she gave this song her best and it shows. At 17 years old, she was the youngest contestant this year and still delivered a show-stopping performance. Her vocal strength is other-worldly and she earned every single point she got. Just with a better song and a more connecting staging, she would be able to shine more and France would end up higher in my ranking.

Senhit, our queen, returns! With a song that is worse than all her previous attempts but uhh okay I still kinda dig it. What else has she got? Oh... Boy George? Why?

Boy George actively brought this performance down, without him the song and the live is better. You can see Senhit giving the song its all while Boy George is there with such low energy that the whole song gets dragged down as soon as he appears. Remove Boy George and the song is much better - he doesn't even add much to the song except 2 lines.

Still, it wouldn't take away from the fact that the song is weaker than what Senhit has delivered in the past but it is a bop and I would enjoy it a lot more. The live performance was nothing special, I prefer the studio version.

Fun fact, Alicja was first chosen to represent Poland in 2020 but couldn't due to the event getting cancelled. This year, she once again competed in the national final of Poland and won, proceeded to have an amazing result for Poland. I had written off this song as soon as it was chosen, it isn't to my liking and still is not. The national final performance was quite bad as well but she had such a glowup on the Eurovision stage, I was left impressed. In both the semi and the final, she was flawless and the improved staging works really well with the song. I may not like the song but I can recognize how incredible she was.

As for why I don't like it? Well, the mashup of various styles doesn't work for me at all, the song feels messy and all over the place. I can't deny though, the fusion is an interesting choice. The rap and the gospel music, I wouldn't have guessed the two can go together

I have had a loving and a falling with Bella. The best way I can put it is, for the most part I find the song bland but the last minute of it is amazing. When the tone of the song changes and it is complemented by the whole spinning sequence in the live performance, that is done incredibly. I love that part in the studio version too. But other than that, I find this ballad to be rather lackluster. His beautiful voice works incredibly for the song but the english lyrics atleast come off as corny to me. Ultimately though, the song deserved its position in the final and the staging was a good upgrade, the effects it produced were incredible. I like the concept of this staging more than the staging itself.

"PALOMA RUMBA, LETS GO!"

The most energetic song of this season, no doubts. I was skeptical of the song when it was released, partially of whether Simón will be able to sing it live but the man is living breathing charisma with good enough vocals and dance moves that will want to make you go Paloma Rumba as well. There were a few sound mixing issues it felt like but I don't think Simón is to blame for that.

It was delivered brilliantly on stage and he carried that song but the performance won't be half as effective without those backing dancers. It is the worse of the "office burnout" song this year (is this gonna become a new genre in Eurovision?) but still it was able to differentiate itself with its unique structure. Kind of a mess to listen to but an enjoyable mess and a fun staging.

What a bland song with what an amazing performer. She has such a magnetic presence and such a powerful vocal ability, I was stunned by how well she sung it live. I heard her praises loud and clear ever since she was announced to be the Aussie representative and I must say, all her praises hold true. She was phenomenal.

Why did it end up so low then? Like I mentioned in the first line, she is incredible but the song isn't. Very generic lyrics and it evokes nothing in me. In maybe 2011 it would have swept the contest but I never could see such a song winning nowadays in Eurovision. (Tattoo kinda did but Loreen is Loreen.) Still, I was expecting her to win the jury. But a second place finish in the jury is still respectable.

Felicia has a very inspiring back story which I'd recommend others to give a read to. EDM as a genre isn't the most successful in Eurovision but I love how she brings something unique to Vienna. The performance and the whole laser show is riveting. This song was once playing on my bluetooth speakers as they were on my bed, the electronic sounds were making the whole bed vibrate so much, kind of an exhilarating moment. The lyrics are a bit non-sensical (which I have came around to embrace, like they are so bad that it becomes iconic in a way) and it can feel that she lacks the energy on stage compared to wat the song demands - those are my only complaints. It isn't something revolutionary or incredible; it is fun, it is good, I enjoy it and a mid-table ranking is enough to show that.

I'll admit, I wasn't the biggest fan of Ya Ya Ya when it was selected in MGP but the song slowly won me over. It is catchy, has some good rock rhythm to it and it has crept its way into my brain. It suffers from the problem of the performance not looking as good on the stage in Vienna as it did in Oslo; part of the reason is apparently Lovv was rather sick and he had to push himself to perform, which is clear when you hear the vocals. Plus the island stage in the national final works wonderfully, like it was made for this song. Jonas Lovv exudes Freddie Mercury on stage and I love that.

Ya Ya Ya is what Like An Animal (San Marino 2023) would be if it was good.

Denmark was considered one of the favorites to win the contest and in some ways I can see where that stems from, but the song is somewhat generic pop song which is elevated by the fact that it is in Danish. I still like the sound of it more than a lot of pop that this competition has to offer. The selling point of the song is its live performance, where Søren's brilliant choreography coupled with an amazing group of backing dancers and a simple yet unique prop makes the song shine to a great degree. The performance is what matters and I felt like on the night of the grand final, I was underwhelmed. I don't know if it is fatigue of sorts but I much preferred the national final performance, it felt more intimate, more raw and Søren felt more comfortable in the space. Still, Søren delivered the best Danish result since their victory in 2013 and that is a feat worth celebrating.

At one point, Ferto used to be in my top 3, but the song gets old really fast. It is still a great song, don't get me wrong; Akylas has the perfect charisma to perform such a song, but eventually you hit a fatigue with it. I have a lot to talk about it - the song itself is catchy, albeit repetitive. The whole maximalism and consumerism message ties into the song perfectly and along with the greed and money corrupting a person. The bridge in the song (a ballad break if you will), where he directly addresses his mother, adds a ton of character to the song and gives us a deep insight into the rationalization of the over-consumption, but rather than sticking to it, the song is quick to revert back to that lavish lifestyle and a neverending need - "Whatever, you get it." This is not a complaint, it makes the song better, or well more interesting for me.

The live performance was... a bit of a mess. The first half was quite bad and not executed well, the second half was great. I love the changing rooms gimmick they did. But still, the performance was a bit too much - which can be argued is tied to the meaning of the song, and I like that explanation but it doesn't make the performance any good. Oh and the blatant use of AI, boooo!

Nân is a beautiful song about the pain a mother feels when her child leave home, waiting eagerly for them to come back. The lyrics of this song convey that tragic pain beautifully. When I saw the music video that had the english subtitles, I was overwhelmed by emotions. The song finally made sense to me. Plus the way that music video was staged was spectacular.

Sadly, part of the magic didn't come to light on the stage in Vienna. I am not a fan of the floating head and the random people on screen; the first half of the performance was a little disappointing. In the second half however, when the mother is on the stage with Alis, that was done beautifully. The moment where she embraces Alis, it reminded me the reason this song resonated with me and thousands of others. As she takes off the glasses of Alis, we don't see a singer on stage, we see a son who has missed his mother.

I absolutely love the moment when the subtitles appear on screen during the Lithuanian performance. They appear at the perfect time and help convey the meaning of the song with just 3-4 lines translated. I have been a little obsessed with this song and the theatrics of it; it tickles a very specific theater bone inside of me. Lion Ceccah has an extraordinary creative vision which shows not just with this performance, but through various moment, various performances throughout the season.

The song is a multilingual one, he sings in 6 different languages (and Sign Language!) on the stage. The vocals were a little shaky on the night of grand final but I didn't mind it much in the context of the song. I could see he was giving his 100%.

The meaning of the song also resonated with me in some ways - it is a song about what it means to be human in this rapidly changing world and what differentiates us from the ever-evolving technology that surrounds us, the messaging is more relevant than ever. For a contest having two songs with anti-AI themes, it is disappointing how some acts and even the hosts used AI in production.

There is something very British about complaining how things are in Britain and finding a sense of freedom by traveling to the mainland Europe. More than that, the song is about a soul crushing 9-to-5 job and an escape from it. Mr. Computerless sings about the same as furry computers dance around him. Incredible. Outstanding.

I love that BBC took a risk with this year's entry and though it might not have paid off fully (three zero point in televote streak!), the song has found a lot of admirers. It is the kind of song which worked a lot more for me when I saw it on the stage. The joyous and lively energy of Sam Battle brought a staging which made the song instantly jump in rankings for me; in my opinion, it is the best British entry in so long, and in some ways even better than Sam Ryder's "Space Man."

I mentioned Portugal being the most beautiful song this year; if there is any song that gives it some competition in that field, it is Ridnym. The song is written like an exquisite, captivating poem. The lyrics, a mix of English and Ukrainian, provide a message of hope and resilience in a way no song has been able to, a message that resonated with Ukrainians across Europe. The bandura helps to bring a cultural elements from Ukraine to the stage, it is a cherry on top.

Leléka was phenomenal on stage, her melodic voice presented this ethereal song in a way that was passionate. The long note she does, holding a note for  30 seconds (a new record in Eurovision, btw), made me stop breathing for those 30 seconds and I was getting teared up by the end of it. Like Portugal, the simplicity of this performance spoke to me, the dress of Leléka and the contrasting black color felt in taste. It is a magnificent song that was treated with the care it deserves.

With Lithuania, I mentioned the song tickling a theatrical bone, Andromeda gives that exact same feeling to me. The song has deep cultural and historical significance and the performance does justice to it. Their vocals harmonize beautifully and represent their united strength and endurance. What really shined for me though was the performance. It is a staging that has been done to perfection and back, every single shot of it is meaningful and picturesque. I was left in awe when I saw their performance in the semi final, instantly the song jumped for me. There are a lot of examples I can give, the opening shot; when one of them is standing in the air; them reaching out (pictured); the shot near the end focusing on each of them individually; I don't think my words can appreciate it well enough, you need to see it for yourself.