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 2 acts in particular had results that weren’t as high as they were expecting.
As we know now Bulgaria were not expected to win the whole contest, being only third in the odds with a betting winning chance of a mere 10%. Ahead of Bulgaria were Finland and Australia. While by no stretch of the imagination did either have a bad result, it’s still worth wondering; what went wrong for Australia and Finland.
Who is Delta Goodrem
Delta Goodrem is a 41-year-old singer-songwriter born in Sydney. She showed promise in music when she was young, taking up singing and dancing lessons as a child. Her debut album, released in 2003, was met with critical acclaim, and is one of the highest-selling albums by an Australian artist. She is also a well-known songwriter, writing songs for the likes of Celine Dion and Brian McFadden. In her recent career, she has been the supporting act for legendary artists including Shania Twain.
Delta Goodrem sang “”Eclipse”” in Vienna – a song written by Delta herself, as well as Ferras Alqaisi, Jonas Myrin and Michael Fatkin.
Did you think Australia was going to win
Samantha : I definitely felt like it was a possibility, but something just felt off, and I can’t quite pinpoint what it was. I could see why people were predicting it, especially with Delta’s reputation and the strength of her vocals, but I never quite had that feeling that Australia was the winner. I wonder whether there’s still a slight disconnect when it comes to Australia winning. Eurovision is so closely associated with the winning country hosting the contest the following year, and obviously that wouldn’t happen in Australia, so I do wonder whether that affects how people view an Australian entry as a potential winner. Maybe that’s unfair, but it’s definitely something that crossed my mind. I absolutely saw it doing well with the juries, however. Delta had the vocal performance that juries love, but I was less convinced that the public would connect with it in the same way.
Mateo: Similar to Samantha, I wasn’t fully persuaded by “Eclipse”. Sure, Delta is a star and her live vocals are flawless, but I never really got the hype. To me, the song felt very artificial and highly engineered, as if it had been written to win Eurovision. Another big issue were the lyrics. They are unbelievably cheesy and generic, and the metaphor of the eclipse is just weird. The day of the final, I thought it could potentially compete with France to win the jury vote because of the staging, which elevated the song. Overall, a fourth place is a fabulous result for a country that has been struggling at Eurovision in recent years, even though I would have loved to see more creative songs like LELEK’s “Andromeda” make it to the top 10.
Was the hype around Australia winning warranted, or not? And was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Samantha : I think the hype was warranted to an extent, but perhaps a tiny bit overboard. Vocally, Delta is obviously incredible, and the song was absolutely good enough to be at Eurovision. But let’s be honest—was this actually that special? For me, no. It was your classic diva moment about how amazing love is, performed incredibly well. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I think the reaction was partly driven by the fact that it was Delta Goodrem. My question all along was if this exact song had been performed by anyone else, would it have received the same reaction? I honestly don’t think it would have. The name recognition and reputation definitely played a part in the hype.
Mateo: Yes and no. Yes because it was quite obvious that the juries were going to vote en masse for it. And no because the song was nothing out of the ordinary. We’ve heard songs of the sort a thousand times. If we compare Australia with Croatia, Czechia or even France, it’s no wonder that “Eclipse” didn’t win. Personally, I don’t think the fact that Delta Goodrem sang the song contributed to the hype, or at least not entirely. All ballads that feature a piano and are sung by a blonde woman are immediately going to be considered a “winner alert” just because that’s what the juries love.
What does Australia need to do to win the contest?
Samantha : Honestly, I’m not sure Australia needs to do anything radically different musically. They’ve shown that they can send really strong and varied entries, and they’ve had some genuinely memorable moments at Eurovision. My bigger question is whether an Australian entry can ever become the kind of overwhelming favorite that makes everyone want to vote for it. There’s still that logistical issue of Australia winning and the contest not being held there the following year, which I think inevitably plays into the conversation around an Australian victory.
Mateo: I disagree with Samantha. Australia really needs to bring a song to the contest that is out of the box. By this, I don’t mean “Milkshake Man”, but something that manages to surprise the audience while avoiding the use of childish sexual innuendos. Australia has a long history of sending generic pop songs, the most flagrant examples being Dami In’s “Sound Of Silence” and Jessica Mauboy’s “We Got Love”. The only song that remotely screamed winner to me was its 2019 entry “Zero Gravity”, and that was only because at that time we hadn’t heard a thouand opera songs at Eurovision. However, even if Australia were to bring the most experimental and original song in the history of the contest, it’s important to remember that Australia, similar to Malta, struggles every year in the televote because of its lack of neighbors, making an Australian victory quite unlikely.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Samantha : Aside from Montaigne and Go-Jo, I actually think Australia has sent some really strong entries to Eurovision, and I hope they continue in that direction. They’ve got a really interesting music industry to draw from, and I’d much rather see them continue taking risks and sending artists who have something distinctive to offer.
Mateo: I wish I could be more optimistic, but unfortunately I’m not. Australia really needs to reconsider what they send to Eurovision. In my opinion, the only solution is to go back to holding a national final. In 2019, a few of the competing songs were actually above average for Australia, particularly Electric Fields’s “2000 And Whatever”, and 2022 brought us “Not The Same” by Sheldon Riley, which is by far my favorite Australian entry.
Watch the accompanying discussion video here:
Australia’s Eurovision Journey
The most recent country to debut into the Eurovision Song Contest, Australia debuted in 2015. Guy Sebastian represented the land down under with his entry “Tonight Again” in Vienna, where they placed 5th. Since their debut, they have participated every single year of the competition.
Australia internally selected Delta Goodrem to represent them in 2026 with the song “Eclipse”. She would qualify for the final and would ultimately finish in 4th place, Australia’s second-best result at the Contest. At the close of voting, Australia would 287 points, 165 coming from the jury with the remaining 122 points coming from the televote.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Australia could have won? 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: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU