While Swedish broadcaster SVT finalizes the list of artists participating in their Eurovision 2026 selection, Melodifestivalen, rumors regarding who will be participating in the 66th edition of the competition continue to be reported. This time, Aftonbladet reports that Timo Räisänen, Laila Adèle and Klara Almström.
An Indie rocker joining the line-up
The first artist in this round-up is Timo Räisänen, who has been part of the band of Swedish musician Håkan Hellström. He started his solo career in 2024, and has since released 8 studio albums and have toured Sweden numerous times.
A Mello alum joining the line-up for 2026
Another artist that is rumoured to be part of the line-up is Laila Adèle. Aftoonblader reports that she is one of the last artists to be told that they will be part of the line-up. She has participated in Mello in 2026, but unfortunately did not make it past her semi-final. Since then, she has found success in theater, having starred in numerous plays, inclduing Little Shop of Horrors, Hairspray, Legally Blone, as well as Dreamgirls in 2024.
Another Idol alum joining the line-up
Rounding up this rumoured line-up is another Idol alumni in the form of Klara Almström. She finished third in Idol in 2022, with Aftonbladet’s insider saying that her potential entry to Mello being “a fantastically good pop song in Swedish”.
Alva Tång not part of the line-up
We previously reported that Alva Tång is part of the line-up. Aftonbladet has now said that this is incorrect and have removed her from the rumoured line-up. On her social media, Alva commented on the rumour on Swedish media, where she light-heartedly joked about the report.
Who is currently rumored to participate in Melodifestivalen 2026?
As reported by Swedish media, the artists that could potentially be competing at next year’s competition are as follows:
- FELICIA
- Greczula
- Junior Lerin
- MEDINA
- Smash Into Pieces
- Meira Omar
- Saga Ludvigsson
- Eva Jumatate
- Robin Bengtsson
- Arwin
- Emilia Pantic
- Sanna Nielsen
- Felix Manu
- Jacqline
- Patrik Jean
- A*Teens
- Vilhelm Buchaus
- Cimberly
- Erika Jonsson
- AleXa
- Korslagda
- Indra Elg
- Noll2
- Brandsta City Släckers
- Lilla Al-Fadji
- Juliett
- Timo Räisänen
- Laila Adèle
- Klara Almström
The line-up for Melodifestivalen 2026 is currently being finalised, with the line-up set to be revealed later in the Autumn.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2025, Sweden were represented by Finnish group KAJ, singing “Bara bada bastu”. At the close of voting in the grand final, they had received 321 points, finishing in 4th place. 126 points were received by the juries, while the trio received 195 points by televoters.
What do you think of this latest development? Would you like to see any of them represent Sweden at Eurovision in 2026? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik-Tok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2026!
News Source: Aftonbladet
Photo Credit: Laila Adèle, Laila Adèle, Annika Berglund
Euan T 
Rory Gannon