After the reveal of the first eight participants of Melodi Grand Prix, Norwegian broadcaster NRK has revealed further information about the wildcard round, which would select the 9th finalist for this year’s competition.
MGP alums are also fighting for a spot in the final
The artists that are taking part in the MGP Cup also include Ireland’s Eurovision 2025 representative Emmy – who participated in MGP in 2021, as well as other MGP alums Skrellex, Gothminster, Raylee & Thomas Jenssen.
The duels are as follows:
| Duel | Artist | Entry | Lyrics & Melody |
| 1 | Skrellex | “Into The Wild” | Michael James Down, Will Taylor, Primoz Poglajen, Kai Thomas Ryen Larsen and Camilo Fernández |
| 1 | Emmy | “Sykt Fin” | Ben Adams, Andreas Stone Johansson and Emmy Kristine Guttulsrud Kristiansen |
| 2 | Gothminster | “The Spell” | Bjørn Alexander Brem |
| 2 | Vika Anonymous | “Har Du Itte Vørri På Toten Før? | Jørgen Ulsrud, Gustav Fredholm, Torgeir Ryssevik, Kjersti Sleveland og Chris Tsika Kabala |
| 3 | Aranja | “Pyjamas Song” | Aranja Gharib, Sonia Maselik, Christopher Scott Simmons og Ola Frøyen§ |
| 3 | Sander Silva & Victorjus | “Fritt Fall” | Sander Gran, Torjus Fluge Fornes, Trym Olstad og Stine Øen |
| 4 | Raylee | “Where Did Your Friend Go” | Steven Rodriguez, Emma Gale, Celine Solemsløkk Helgemo og Raylee Charlotte Kristiansen |
| 4 | Thomas Jenssen | “Smalltown” | Thomas Jenssen, Carl-Henrik Wahl, Simon Peyron, Jakob Mihoubi og Rudy Daouk |
Voting for each duel is open for 24 hours – from 10:00CET until 10:00CET the following day. From today (January 20) until Friday, (January 23) the quarter-finals will occur, where the artists taking part will be condensed to just four artists. The semi-finals will then happen this weekend (January 24-25), with the final taking place in Monday (January 26), with the final artist being revealed on Tuesday, January 27th.
What is Melodi Grand Prix?
Melodi Grand Prix is the Norwegian method of selection for Eurovision. This national final selection method is over 60 years old. The only year where Melodi Grand Prix has not taken place was 2002, when Norway were relegated from the Eurovision Song Contest. Melodi Grand Prix had undertaken a few different formats.
Norway’s Eurovision Journey
The Scandinavian nation made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1960, with Nora Brockstedt and the song “Voi Voi”, which placed 4th. Since their debut, they have participated 62 times, and made the Grand Final 59 of these. In addition, Norway has won the competition three times – in 1985, 1995, and 2009.
Norway’s latest Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Kyle Alessandro with the song “Lighter”. After qualifying for the final, Norway placed 18th in the Grand Final, receiving 89 points, 22 of which from the jury and 67 from televoters.
Are you happy with this year’s line-up? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: NRK
Photo credit: Julia Marie Naglestad / NRK
Giwrgos Oiko