🇺🇦 TES Ranks: Vidbir 2026

We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is the wildcard round for Vidbir, which will take place on the 7th of . Vidbir will select the Eurovision representative for Ukraine in Vienna.

Who is taking part in the Vidbir 2026 Final?

There are 10 artists taking part in the Final of Vidbir. The 10 artists taking part are as follows:

The Wildcard Round

Before we jump into our thoughts on the final, we should take a step back to the wildcard round. Prior to Khayat winning the wildcard round we ranked all the songs competing with these results.

What the team thought of the highest ranking songs?

Samantha (Do you hear me): This song has a fresh sound to it that I think could please a variety of people. I love the mix of languages and the change in tempo. Do I think it will stand out on the Eurovision stage as it is now ? Maybe not, but it will definitely get people clapping along.

Rory (By The Way): This song is quite the strong entry among the wildcards we currently have. Antsay has a really strong voice and while the lyrics are rather questionable and the narrative a small bit hard to follow, Ukraine knows how to revamp. This is has the most potential to stand out but whether this will continue once the remaining shortlisted songs are released will have to be seen.

Kittens (DNA): This had kinda Coldplay-like vibes for me in that it’s something easily pick-up able by almost anyone, very easily accessible pop music, with easy participation with the claps and catchy chorus. I always love a little faux-gospel breakdown (and that’s something that could be easily worked up further in the event of them actually winning). I also really enjoy that the lyrics are easily adaptable to a number of stories – there’s something everyone can take from it.

And what were the teams thoughts on the national final as a whole?

Tetiana: I listened carefully to all wild card entries and itn is obvious that Khayat and Mon Fia are audience favourites. With their vocal harmonies and strong pop sound are well intertwined with the lyrics in the Ukrainan language. DNA by Karyotype is the upbeat eurovison pop which could look good in the semi final, ANSTAY’s song gradually fades out as it comes to the end, Marta Adamchuk’s Silvered Pines is a classic ballad and OKS sounds really good and could be fun to watch, giving Alis vibes. I voted for Mon Fia.

Who is our winner from Vidbir?

We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-10 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 10 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.

3rd. Khayat – “Hertsy” (3.83):

2nd. Molodi – “Legends” (3.33):

1st. Monokate – “Tyt” (3.00):

What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from Vidbir?

Kitens (Tyt): While I feel like Monokate’s general content that has been out in the past year or so has been not my jam, this in contrast is absolutely my kinda thing – the beat and bassline to this are absolutely a winner in my books. While I am still unsure as to if it can take the win, it does not seem like there is too much certainty at this point towards one artist or another, which means it all comes down to how it is performed on the night. I have faith that an experienced artist like this can bring the performance, drama and movement this needs – but it’s not long before we find out!

Samantha (Hertsy): I’m not gonna lie for me Vidbir is one of the weakest national finals this year. None of the songs particularly speak to me and have me going back for more in comparison to other national finals where I have at least one song on repeat. With all that being said Hertsy has grown on me since I first heard it in the wildcard round and I think that it could have a moment on the stage and really stand out against the others. Khayat is clearly a very good performer and maybe just a little revamp if the song goes all the way to Eurovision could make it stand out more.

George (Legends): This year, Vidbir is weak. “Legends” being third in my ranking says it all: it’s mediocre, but it would be a decent representative if they want to keep their top-15 streak. It sounds like a generic song that a Nordic country could have sent, but I wouldn’t mind if it won.

And what were the teams thoughts on the national final as a whole?

Tetiana: Overall, the audience claims it is the strongest national finals of the recent years. I agree because my favorites are changing all the time and now it is Laud. His song is a gospel bigger than Eurovision itself. Shchukaryba deserve recognition for their outstanding and modern folk interpretation, and, chances are,LELEKA will win. Monokate and Jerry Heil deserve credits for good entries, but Jerry is likely to become the next pope for sure rather then winning the title. The National Final show will decide the winner!

Rory: Let me say that overall, anything involving Jamala will automatically be very good, and with her being the music producer of the show, she has picked a wide variety of songs, artists and concepts that really highlight what modern Ukrainian music is. We have great blend of dominant musical styles and those that are more understated. This is a great show and a fantastic improvement compared to last year’s show, so no matter what Ukraine picks, it can be an act they can be proud of

What is Vidbir?

Informally known as “Vidbir”, Ukraine’s national selection has been around since 2016, when it picked a Eurovision winner–Jamala’s “1944”–right off the bat. It’s a small selection with generally between six to ten entries competing each year, and is traditionally held in February. Vidbir features a three-person jury panel, and this year an online vote as well.

Ukraine’s Eurovision Journey

Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored nine top-five placements, with an extra four top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest three times – in 2004, 2016 and 2022 respectively. Ukraine made history for being the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.

In 2025, Ziferblat represented Ukraine in Basel with their song “Bird of Pray”. The band finished in 9th place, scoring 218 points – of which 60 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 158 points came from the televote.

Who would you like to see represent Ukraine in Vienna? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2026!

News Source: That Eurovision Site
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