Sweden Melodifestivalen 2026: Greczula and A*Teens to the Final

Nu kör vi!

The first deltävling (heat) of Melodifestivalen 2026 took place tonight. The two winners were Greczula and A*Teens, who go straight through to the Final, with Jacqline qualifying for the "Final qualification" in four weeks’ time.

The first deltävling was held in Saab Arena in Linköping. This marks the eighth time that Melodifestivalen has visited Linköping.

After tonight’s first heat in Linköping, the show will visit Göteborg, Kristianstad, Malmö, and Sundsvall before heading to Strawberry Arena in Stockholm for the Final on 7 March.

Melodifestivalen 2026

• 31 January: Heat 1, Linköping
• 7 February: Heat 2, Göteborg
• 14 February: Heat 3, Kristianstad
• 21 February: Heat 4, Malmö
• 28 February: Heat 5 + Final qualification, Sundsvall
• 7 March: Melodifestivalen Final, Stockholm

All shows will be presented by Gina Dirawi & Hampus Nessvold.

A total of 30 acts compete in five heats. Two entries from each heat go straight to the Final, one remains in the competition (Final qual), and three are eliminated.

Voting system

In all five heats of Melodifestivalen 2026 there are two rounds of voting. Viewers can vote for all six participants via app/telephone.

First round of voting:

The artist with most votes qualifies directly for the Final of Melodifestivalen.

Second round of voting:

Viewers can again vote on the remaining five participants. The votes are added to the first round. All the app votes are divided into seven voting groups determined by age, and in addition an eighth voting group consisting of votes from telephone. Each of the voting groups' votes are converted into 39 points (12-10-8-5-3-1).

The artist that receives the most points from the eight voting groups qualifies for the Final.

Now there are four artists left. The one with most votes from the whole evening among the four remaining qualify for the "Final qual" ("Finalkvalet" – previously known as "Second Chance") of Melodifestivalen.

Final qual:

Right after Heat 5, the five songs that finished third in each heat will compete in a "Final qual" ("Finalkvalet"). Among these five, the song that received the highest proportion of votes in its respective heat — relative to the total number of votes cast in that heat — will advance directly to the Final.

The public will decide the last finalist among the remaining four songs.

Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest

Since 1958, Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times, and with great success. Together with Ireland, they hold the record of most victories in Eurovision:

• 1974: ABBA – Waterloo
• 1984: Herreys – Diggi-loo Diggy-ley
• 1991: Carola – Fångad Av En Stormvind
• 1999: Charlotte Nilsson – Take Me To Your Heaven
• 2012: Loreen – Euphoria
• 2015: Måns Zelmerlöw – Heroes
• 2023: Loreen – Tattoo

They came in last two times (1963 and 1977), and since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004 Sweden has managed to qualify for the Grand Final 20 out of 21 times (only failing to qualify in 2010)!