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 Dora, which will take place on the 12th of February. Dora will select the Eurovision representative for Croatia in Vienna.
Who is taking part in the first Dora semi final?
There are 12 artists taking part in the first semi final of Dora. The 12 artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| Alen Đuras | “From Ashes to Flame” |
| Ananda | “Dora” |
| Cold Snap | “Mucho Macho” |
| Ema Bubić | “Vrijeme za nas” |
| Fenksta | “Memento mori” |
| Fran Uccellini | “Ako bolje bude sutra” |
| Jasmina Makota | “Higher” |
| Lelek | “Andromeda” |
| Lima Len | “Raketa” |
| Noelle | “Uninterrupted” |
| ToMa | “Ledina” |
| Toni Sky | “O ne!” |
Who is our winner from Dora?
We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-12 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 12 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.
3rd. Toni Sky – “O ne!” (4.00):
2nd. Lelek – “Andromeda” (3.60):
1st. Ananda – “Dora” (2.20):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from Dora?
Samantha (Ananda): I love the mix of genres in this song and how Ananda manages to incorporate them all without making it feel disjointed. I think the meaning and the connection between Dora Pejačević and the national final is really interesting. I’m very excited to see how Ananda and her team are going to stage this as I think it’s gonna be quite special. Only thing I’m a bit worried about is live vocals just because in the studio version you can hear that they have been slightly modified by the production and because I haven’t had the opportunity to see any clips of her singing live it’s just something that I am a bit sceptical about it but really hope I’m proven wrong.
George (Lelek): This could realistically secure a Top 10 result for Croatia. It’s deeply ritualistic and mystical, and the live atmosphere has the potential to be absolutely mesmerising. This is exactly the kind of entry eurofans will obsess over, while juries are also likely to reward it for its mood, cohesion, and artistic identity. Honestly, I think this would be the best possible decision for Croatia.
Kittens (Tony Sky): This might not be my favourite in this semi but I am weak to a tasty guitar lick so here we are. This is a chill little tune that is just very enjoyable to listen to and would go nicely in a darkened bar where you can nod your head to it appreciatively. I honestly have no idea how you stage this so I hope they do something good, and I worry it might be too low key to truly grab attention but hey, it’s still a great little groover.
And what were the teams thoughts on the national final as a whole?
Molly: I have overall enjoyed this semi final and to me its one of the standouts of this national final season. This is a bhuge step up from last year and there are msany different diverse list of songs and genres in Dora this year. There seems to be a lot of girl bops this year as well which I do always look forward to. With this many dramtic styled songs I do wonder if the staging will be big enough to add the staging a lot of these songs deserve.
Rory: Dora is quite literally back with a bang this year, and there is a nice even split between where the favourites are being placed, meaning it makes the shows a lot more balanced and fun to watch. Admittedly most of MY favourites are in this semi-final, so I will be having a great time, but I am really happy to see their failure to qualify not discourage Croatia from being brave and experimental!
What is Dora?
Dora has taken place 25 times since its inception in 1992, and has selected the majority of Croatia’s Eurovision entries, except for a hiatus between 2011 and 2019. Since its return, the competition has usually consisted of a single final of around 14 to 18 songs, but the format has changed in 2024 to include a semi-final stage for the expanded amount of 24 songs. The winner will be decided by a 50/50 split between a televote, and four national and four international jury panels.
Croatia’s Eurovision Journey
Croatia has been a part of the Eurovision family since 1961, as part of Yugoslavia. Ten Croatian artists went on to represent Yugoslavia in the Contest – the most famous of which being Riva, who gave Yugoslavia its only win in 1989. The 1990 Contest was held in Zagreb as a tribute to their Croatian heritage. Croatia debuted in the Contest as an independent nation in 1993 with the band Put and their song “Don’t Ever Cry”. Since then, Croatia has gone on to score as high as 2nd place in 2024.
In 2025, Croatia chose Marko Bošnjak to represent the nation in Basel with his song “Poison Cake”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia failed to qualify for the final, placing twelfth with a televote score of 28 points.
Who would you like to see represent Croatia 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
Photo Credit: Samantha / That Eurovision Site