Now Eurovision 2026 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the wild ride of Vienna, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2026 final saw some very dramatic results, but 6 acts in particular had noticeably bad results.
In our seventh part seven discuss what went wrong with Sweden.
Who is FELICIA?
FELICIA, previously known as F and before that Fröken Snusk, has taken Sweden by storm in a remarkably short time. Celebrated for her unique voice, bold charisma, and powerful stage presence, she has reached the top of Spotify’s charts, played over 300 live shows, and won Masked Singer in Sweden. She competed in Melodifestivalen 2024 with the song “Unga och Fria,” earning a spot in the Final Qualifier. In autumn 2025, FELICIA released her first single under her own name, “Black Widow,” which swiftly rose to number three on Spotify’s Top 50 and received extensive airplay and media attention. That fall also saw her victory on SVT’s high-stakes reality competition Spelet.
Her song for Eurovision 2026 – “My System” – was written by Felicia herself, as well as Audun Agnar Guldbransen, Emily Harbakk, Julie Bergan and Theresa Rex.
What are the issues with the selection?
Euan: There’s so many things wrong with Melfest that it would require a several thousand word article criticising it (tbf we’ve done that before and will likely do it again). There is a huge issue with the fact that the contest relies far too much on a small pool of writers meaning too many of the songs just sound the same. There’s not enough diversity, and an over-reliance on basic pop girlies with the most forgettable songs.
Rory: I feel like I’m rather unqualified to talk about Melfest as it was quite possibly the only selection I did not watch this season. But saying that, I had heard from several people that this year’s selection was weak – which, is fine. Not every year can be a constant hit. But despite this, complaints over the song quality, the strange voting methods and the final results all caused controversy – which does not start things off well, in my opinion.
Kittens: Do not ask me to give you a single paragraph of what the issues are with this selection. I have so much to say and so little wine. So let’s summarise: ban repeated songwriters, the vote needs to be changed, the dominance of mello slop in the music industry needs work, the attitude towards difference needs work, any idea of having an edge is gone, and it is so wrapped up in the commercial enterprises that it is completely losing it’s way as a selection. Hand me an Aperol spritz, Karin. Let’s talk.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Euan: Look it’s a fun song and FELICIA is a good performer, but the song is not the right fit. Dance music of this style by and large does not do well, and this is a very basic one, with only one really memorable line… yeah it wasn’t going to do great.
Rory: I would argue that FELICIA is a strong performer, who does deserve every right to step on that Eurovision stage. But I would say that being an anonymous artist definitely impacted her chances of doing well, as many would be confused over her mask. I had people coming up to me on the day of the final asking why was she wearing a mask, and still didn’t really get it when I explained her story of social anxiety. The song, equally, is very good – but is in a notoriously poor-performing genre for Eurovision. So while she deserved to go, and her song would have charted in any other setting, I think as a combo it was probably not the strongest package Sweden could send.
Kittens: FELICIA is someone I’ve championed since she came out as a solo artist so on a performer basis I’m going to say yes absolutely. However on a song basis I’m going to struggle, not because I think it’s bad per se but because I think this is a genre that struggles with credibility even outside Eurovision. Those who love it love it for sure but it is very polarising and people do not see it as a genre worth their time. This is despite some of the biggest producers in the world producing in this genre to packed arenas. Historically, it’s not easy to find many examples of it doing well in Eurovision – and that I think is the biggest problem. But I still think it’s better to choose what moves you as a country, than to try and choose what’s good for Eurovision.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Euan: No. It was *too* intense and didn’t work. The lighting overshadowed FELICIA visually and took away from her great performing ability, and it just wasn’t that interesting. It was just a dull over-polished laser show that wasn’t that memorable or fun.
Rory: Meh. I am quite the regular griper regarding Sweden’s incredibly boring copy-paste technique from Melfest to Eurovision. But I have to insist – if you’re going to do it, at least make it look sleek and intense, something I fear SVT just didn’t do this year. We heard so much talk of something new in the weeks leading up to rehearsals, only for it to be….some extra lasers? I don’t know, part of it looked really bare for me, and it just is not something I would actively want to see again.
Kittens: Actually I do think there are some very cool staging elements in this, particularly the FELICIA coming out of the screen moment, that we’ll see more of in coming years. And a lot has already been said about the eye and mouth coverings – I don’t know how much I believe they hindered the issue but it’s worth mentioning. However, I don’t think this fully worked on the Eurovision stage, and would have liked to see further adjustments from the NF version.
Could this song have done better if changes were made?
Euan: I feel like if they had toned down the visual intensity of the lighting she would have stood out more as a person rather than a loud show. I don’t think this was ever going to do well but there were avenues to get a few more points.
Rory: Ultimately, Sweden brought pop and polished pop perfection to Eurovision this year, which is a tried and tested method. It got Sweden into the final again – but barely. I would argue that this style of song, paired with this kind of artist, would have been a recipe for disaster were it not coming from Sweden. For this, I think they did everything they could – and FELICIA should bare no fault for the low placement – but this should be a rightful taking down of Sweden’s peg, making them realise that not everything they send will turn to gold.
Kittens: For the reasons about the song I have already written, I think the easiest thing to do would be to change the song entirely. FELICIA has the talent and charisma and the vision – and the rest of her songs are so much better than this!
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Euan: I had had hopes that things would get better, but Melodifestivalen feels like it’s been on a strongly downward trajectory from 2024 onwards. There just isn’t the raw talent that we were seeing even at the start of this decade going into the show, and coupled with the heinous voting system, I think we’re probably more likely to a 2010 rather than a 2023 soon.
Rory: What can I say other than just be true? One of the reasons behind my gripes behind Sweden is that there’s almost too much polish. It’s so smooth that you can’t tell it’s even a real performance at times. Let’s make it gritty, let’s put in some imperfections. It actively makes people want to cheer Sweden on. Will SVT listen to me? Highly doubt it, but I could yap about this for hours, so maybe that’s a good thing.
Kittens: Mello is going to make some truly awful decisions in the aftermath of this shocking result and I really want to sit them down and have a talk. Because Mello hasn’t been choosing right (KAJ nonwithstanding) for a while, and I truly believe that it’s gonna take big reform and big changes to make things right – which I don’t think SVT are going to be willing to do. So probably more of the same next year but with slightly more convoluted voting.
Watch the accompanying discussion video here:
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 2026, Sweden were represented by FELICIA, singing “My System”. At the close of voting in the grand final, she had received 51 points, finishing in 20th place. 35 points were given by the juries, while she received 16 points by televoters.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Sweden could have done better? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2027!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU