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 Melodifestivalen, which will take place on the 7th of March. Melodifestivalen will select the Eurovision representative for Sweden in Vienna.
Who is taking part in the Melodifestivalen 2026 final?
There are 12 artists taking part in the final of Melodifestivalen. The 12 artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| A-Teens | Iconic |
| Brandsta City Släckers | Rakt in i elden |
| Cimberly | Eternity |
| Felicia | My System |
| Greczula | Half of Me |
| Lilla Al-Fadji | Delulu |
| Medina | Viva L’Amor |
| Meira Omar | Dooset Daram |
| Robin Bengtsson | Honey Honey |
| Saga Ludvigsson | Ain’t Today |
| Sanna Nielsen | Waste Your Love |
| Smash into Pieces | Hollow |
Who is our winner from Melodifestivalen?
We ranked the songs taking part in the final, using a 1-12 ranking. 1 being our favourite, [amount] being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings.
3rd. Meira Omar – “Dooset Daram” (5.33):
3rd. Medina – “Viva L’Amor” (5.33):
2nd. Cimberly – “Eternity” (3.67):
1st. Felicia – “My system” (2.67):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from Melodifestivalen?
Samantha (Medina): Oh this song is SO FUN, an instant mood lifter despite the very current meaning that contrasts the upbeat feel. This is definitely the kind of message we need to see at Eurovision especially in the year 2026. Whilst the staging really compliments the song, I would like to see it a bit slicker. Are the vocals the best ? Nope but with a song like this is that really matters the most ? Personally I don’t think so. They get the message across and in this case that is the most important.
George (Meira): I absolutely love it! Meira really knows how to create an eastern bop, and “Dooset Daram” is no exception. I don’t think Sweden would normally send this type of song, but the performance is very strong, and the song itself is extremely catchy. It actually reminds me of those Balkan-Eastern entries from the late 2000s. The only thing I would like to see improved is slightly stronger vocals.
Aleksi (Cimberly): “Eternity” is a song where you know what you’re getting just from hearing the start. There’s something new in it and something you feel like you might have heard before. You might think, well, that’s what pop music is. Then you see the live performance and there’s also something you’ve seen before: it starts with a wide shot of the singer, then cuts to a half shot of her on the left and then on the right, another cut to a wider shot with camera movement, and then you realize: oh yes, this is Melodifestivalen. And there is nothing wrong with that — everything is polished, professional, and safe.
And what were the teams thoughts on the national final as a whole?
Nicklas: SVT has once again put on spectacular show, and while I have once again enjoyed songs from each heat, this is far from the strongest Mello year. The final is also lacking any real diversity. Sweden has been playing it a bit too safe since Christer Björkman left, and if they continue down that road, we might be looking at a 2nd swedish NQ in the future. That being said I still think the biggest contenders would qualify pretty easily at Eurovision, and with Felicia, another top 10 could very well be on its way.
Tim: Overall, I think that Mello condensed their acts the way it intended to be. The winner is obvious but I love the range of genre that are in this year’s selection, and each of them can make their path at this year’s contest.
What is Melodifestivalen?
Sweden’s Melodifestivalen, colloquially known as ‘Melfest’ or ‘Mello’ has been running almost every year since the late 1 950s to select the nation’s entry for Eurovision. The first winner of the contest was Alice Babs in 1958 with “Lilla stjärna” – and the contest has grown to be one of the most popular shows in the Sweden, with around half of the population tuning in every year. The current format of Melfest consists of five heats of six songs each, taking place across five Swedish cities, with two artists from each heat reaching the final in Stockholm, which usually takes place on the second Saturday in March. In 2024, they were joined by two artists who qualified via a controversial “Finalkval” system. Melodifestivalen uses a unique voting system that divides voters by age ranges (3-9, 10-15. 16-20. 30-44, 45-59, 60-74, 75+) as well as a telephone vote.
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.
Who would you like to see represent Sweden 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