Melodifestivalen 2026
| Melodifestivalen 2026 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Dates and venues | |
| Heat 1 |
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| Heat 2 |
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| Heat 3 |
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| Heat 4 |
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| Heat 5 |
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| Final |
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| Production | |
| Host broadcaster | Sveriges Television (SVT) |
| Director |
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| Presenters | |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 30 |
| Number of finalists | 12 |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Heats and final qualification: 100% public vote Final: 50% public vote, 50% jury vote |
Melodifestivalen 2026 is the 66th edition of the Swedish music competition Melodifestivalen, organised by Sveriges Television (SVT) and is taking place during a six-week period between 31 January and 7 March 2026, hosted by Gina Dirawi and Hampus Nessvold.[1] The winner will represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, to be held in Vienna, Austria.
Format
Melodifestivalen 2026 will feature six weekly shows held in six Swedish cities (Linköping, Gothenburg, Kristianstad, Malmö, Sundsvall and Stockholm).[2] Gina Dirawi and Hampus Nessvold were announced as the hosts of the competition on 19 December 2025.[1]
A total of 30 entries will take part in the competition across five heats. Each heat consists of six songs, with the top two songs directly qualifying for the final.[3] In each heat, the first finalist is determined based on the number of public votes received in the first round, while the second round decides the second finalist and the remaining placings through a points-based system of age groups that has been in place since 2019, with a Radiohjälpen voting group replacing the former telephone group as all televoting proceeds would now be donated to the charity; the full breakdown of the results is presented on-screen, as was the case between 2022 and 2024. The remaining artist with the highest total number of votes across both rounds then advances to a final qualification round (rather than the third-placed entry as in the previous edition).[4][5] The top two songs in the final qualification then progress to the final, which will comprise 12 songs. The winner of the final will be determined by a 50/50 combination of votes from the public and an international jury.
| Show | Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat 1 | 31 January 2026 | Linköping | Saab Arena |
| Heat 2 | 7 February 2026 | Gothenburg | Scandinavium |
| Heat 3 | 14 February 2026 | Kristianstad | Kristianstad Arena |
| Heat 4 | 21 February 2026 | Malmö | Malmö Arena |
| Heat 5 | 28 February 2026 | Sundsvall | Gärdehov Arena |
| Final | 7 March 2026 | Stockholm | Strawberry Arena |
Competing entries
A public submission window was open between 18 August and 12 September 2025 to select the 30 competing entries.[7] Upon closing the submission period, SVT announced that 3,888 applications had been received, from which competing entries were then selected by a dedicated board chaired by Melodifestivalen producer and artistic director Karin Gunnarsson, both from the received submissions and by direct invitation of artists.[8][9] The selected entries were announced on 2 December 2025.[10][11]
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
|---|---|---|
| A-Teens | "Iconic" | Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy Jansson, Lina Hansson, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, Thomas G:son |
| AleXa | "Tongue Tied" | Alexaundra Christine Schneiderman, Ellen Berg, Jonatan Gusmark, Ludvig Evers, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker |
| Arwin | "Glitter" | Arwin Ismail, Axel Schylström, Dino Medanhodzic, Melanie Wehbe, Robert Skowronski |
| Bladë | "Who You Are" | Isa Tengblad, Josefina Carlbom |
| Brandsta City Släckers | "Rakt in i elden" | Anderz Wrethov, Elin Wrethov, Kristofer Strandberg, Robert Skowronski |
| Cimberly | "Eternity" | Cimberly-Malaika Wanyonyi, David Lindgren Zacharias, Dino Medanhodzic, Melanie Wehbe |
| Emilia Pantić | "Ingenting" | Emilia Pantić, Fredrik Andersson, Jakob Westerlund, Theodor Ström, Wilmer Öberg |
| Erika Jonsson | "Från landet" | Amir Aly, Erika Jonsson, Mikael Karlsson |
| Eva Jumatate | "Selfish" | Eva Jumatate, Herman Gardarfve Marlene Strand, Ruth Lindegren |
| Felicia | "My System" | Audun Agnar Guldbrandsen, Emily Harbakk, Felicia Eriksson, Julie Bergan, Theresa Rex |
| Felix Manu | "Hatar att jag älskar dig" | Axel Schylström, Felix Manu, Fernand MP, Karl Flyckt |
| Greczula | "Half of Me" | Andreas Werling, Karl Ivert, Kian Sang, Kristofer Greczula |
| Indra | "Beautiful Lie" | Anderz Wrethov, Indra Elg, Kristofer Strandberg, Laurell Barker, Robert Skowronski |
| Jacqline | "Woman" | Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy Jansson, Moa "Cazzi Opeia" Carlebecker, Thomas G:son |
| Juliett | "Långt från alla andra" | David Själin, Elias Kask, Herman Gardarfve, Ludvig Alamanos, Romeo Er-Melin, Valter Wigren |
| Junior Lerin | "Copacabana Boy" | Fredrik Andersson |
| Klara Almström | "Där hela världen väntar" | Fredrik Sonefors, Jimmy Jansson, Klara Almström |
| Korslagda | "King of Rock 'n' Roll" | Andreas Werling, Pedro Sanchez, Kristofer Strandberg, Stefan "Ubbe" Sjur |
| Laila Adèle | "Oxygen" | Jonas Thander, Laila Adèle, Marcus Winther-John |
| Lilla Al-Fadji | "Delulu" | Daniel Réhn, Edward af Sillén, Lilla Al-Fadji, Fredrik Sonefors, Melanie Wehbe, Mikaela Samuelsson |
| Medina | "Viva L'Amor" | Ali "Alibrorsh" Jammali, Anderz Wrethov, Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy ”Joker” Thörnfeldt, Sami Rekik |
| Meira Omar | "Dooset daram" (دوسِت دارَم) | Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Laurell Barker, Meira Omar |
| Noll2 | "Berusade ord" | Fredrik Andersson, Jakob Westerlund, Wilmer Öberg |
| Patrik Jean | "Dusk Till Dawn" | David Lindgren Zacharias, Joy Deb, Melanie Wehbe, Patrik Jean |
| Robin Bengtsson | "Honey Honey" | Gavin Jones, Pär Westerlund, Petter Tarland, Robin Bengtsson |
| Saga Ludvigsson | "Ain't Today" | Dino Medanhodzic, Jimmy Jansson, Johanna "Dotter" Jansson, Saga Ludvigsson |
| Sanna Nielsen | "Waste Your Love" | Jimmy Jansson, Peter Boström, Thomas G:son |
| Smash into Pieces | "Hollow" | Benjamin Jennebo, Chris Adam Hedman Sörbye, Per Bergquist, Philip Strand |
| Timo Räisänen | "Ingenting är efter oss" | Andreas "Giri" Lindbergh, Jimmy "Joker" Thörnfeldt, Joy Deb, Lina Räisänen, Linnea Deb, Timo Räisänen |
| Vilhelm Buchaus | "Hearts Don't Lie" | David Zandén, Isa Molin, Vilhelm Buchaus |
Contest overview
Heat 1
The first heat took place on 31 January 2026 at the Saab Arena in Linköping. Votes were cast using 553,145 devices, with SEK 499,751 collected for Radiohjälpen.[12]
For the first time, only the two finalists were announced live on SVT1, while the artist advancing to the final qualification was revealed in a separate broadcast aired immediately afterwards on SVT Play.[13] This format was originally intended to apply to the first four heats, but was abandoned after the first heat following viewer backlash.[14]
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Final qual. vote | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Place | Votes | Points | Place | Total votes | Place | ||||
| 1 | Greczula | "Half of Me" | TBA | 1 | N/a | Final | ||||
| 2 | Jacqline | "Woman" | TBA | 67 | 2 | 1,791,380 | 1 | Final qual. | ||
| 3 | Noll2 | "Berusade ord" | 49 | 4 | 1,604,284 | 2 | Out | |||
| 4 | Junior Lerin | "Copacabana Boy" | 44 | 5 | 1,515,283 | 3 | Out | |||
| 5 | Indra | "Beautiful Lie" | 52 | 3 | 1,417,761 | 4 | Out | |||
| 6 | A-Teens | "Iconic" | 92 | 1 | N/a | Final | ||||
| R/O | Song | Age groups | RH | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | |||
| 2 | "Woman" | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | "Berusade ord" | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | "Copacabana Boy" | 10 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | "Beautiful Lie" | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 6 | "Iconic" | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Heat 2
The second heat took place on 7 February 2026 at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg. Votes were cast using 565,221 devices, with SEK 495,139 collected for Radiohjälpen.[12]
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Final qual. vote | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Place | Votes | Points | Place | Total votes | Place | ||||
| 1 | Arwin | "Glitter" | TBD | TBD | 41 | 5 | 1,327,307 | 2 | Out | |
| 2 | Laila Adèle | "Oxygen" | 50 | 3 | 1,145,704 | 4 | Out | |||
| 3 | Robin Bengtsson | "Honey Honey" | 76 | 2 | 1,889,614 | 1 | Final qual. | |||
| 4 | Felicia | "My System" | 1 | N/a | Final | |||||
| 5 | Klara Almström | "Där hela världen väntar" | TBD | 43 | 4 | 1,180,360 | 3 | Out | ||
| 6 | Brandsta City Släckers | "Rakt in i elden" | 94 | 1 | N/a | Final | ||||
| R/O | Song | Age groups | RH | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | |||
| 1 | "Glitter" | 8 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | "Oxygen" | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 8 | 10 |
| 3 | "Honey Honey" | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| 5 | "Där hela världen väntar" | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | "Rakt in i elden" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
Heat 3
The third heat took place on 14 February 2026 at the Kristianstad Arena in Kristianstad. Votes were cast using 522,498 devices, with SEK 494,962 collected for Radiohjälpen.[12]
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Final qual. vote | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Place | Votes | Points | Place | Total votes | Place | ||||
| 1 | Patrik Jean | "Dusk Till Dawn" | TBA | TBA | 43 | 4 | 1,121,953 | 3 | Out | |
| 2 | Korslagda | "King of Rock 'n' Roll" | 67 | 3 | 1,250,284 | 2 | Out | |||
| 3 | Emilia Pantić | "Ingenting" | 24 | 5 | 846,831 | 4 | Out | |||
| 4 | Medina | "Viva L'Amor" | 1 | N/a | Final | |||||
| 5 | Eva Jumatate | "Selfish" | TBA | 80 | 2 | 1,694,904 | 1 | Final qual. | ||
| 6 | Saga Ludvigsson | "Ain't Today" | 90 | 1 | N/a | Final | ||||
| R/O | Song | Age groups | RH | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3‑9 | 10‑15 | 16‑29 | 30‑44 | 45‑59 | 60‑74 | 75+ | |||
| 1 | "Dusk Till Dawn" | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2 | "King of Rock 'n' Roll" | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | "Ingenting" | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | "Selfish" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| 6 | "Ain't Today" | 12 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Heat 4
The fourth heat will take place on 21 February 2026 at the Malmö Arena in Malmö.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Final qual. vote | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Place | Votes | Points | Place | Total votes | Place | ||||
| 1 | Cimberly | "Eternity" | TBD | |||||||
| 2 | Timo Räisänen | "Ingenting är efter oss" | ||||||||
| 3 | Meira Omar | "Dooset daram" | ||||||||
| 4 | Felix Manu | "Hatar att jag älskar dig" | ||||||||
| 5 | Erika Jonsson | "Från landet" | ||||||||
| 6 | Smash into Pieces | "Hollow" | ||||||||
Heat 5
The fifth heat will take place on 28 February 2026 at the Gärdehov Arena in Sundsvall.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Round 1 | Round 2 | Final qual. vote | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Place | Votes | Points | Place | Total votes | Place | ||||
| 1 | AleXa | "Tongue Tied" | TBD | |||||||
| 2 | Juliett | "Långt från alla andra" | ||||||||
| 3 | Bladë | "Who You Are" | ||||||||
| 4 | Lilla Al-Fadji | "Delulu" | ||||||||
| 5 | Vilhelm Buchaus | "Hearts Don't Lie" | ||||||||
| 6 | Sanna Nielsen | "Waste Your Love" | ||||||||
Final qualification
At the end of the fifth heat, a final qualification round will take place consisting of the most-voted non-qualifying song from each heat. The two most voted songs will qualify for the final; the age group system will not be used for this vote, but the results from the heats will be added to it to determine the result of the final qualification. More specifically, for the heat points, the total number of votes (excluding votes from Radiohjälpen voting group) for each song in each show will be divided by the total number of voters (devices) in each show. Then 1,000 points will be distributed amongst the songs based on those ratios. The song with the most points will immediately advance to the final. Once the voting has ended, an additional 800 points will be distributed among the four remaining entries, based on how viewers will have voted during the final qualification round.[12]
| Code | Artist | Song | Heat | Final qual. | Total | Place | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | V/V | Points | Place | Votes | Points | ||||||
| 11 | Eva Jumatate | "Selfish" | TBD | ||||||||
| 12 | Jacqline | "Woman" | |||||||||
| 13 | Robin Bengtsson | "Honey Honey" | |||||||||
| 14 | 1st, final qual. vote, heat 4 | ||||||||||
| 15 | 1st, final qual. vote, heat 5 | ||||||||||
Final
The final will take place on 7 March 2026 at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm.
| R/O | Artist | Song | Juries | Public | Total | Place | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | Points | ||||||||
| TBD | Greczula | "Half of Me" | TBD | ||||||
| A-Teens | "Iconic" | ||||||||
| Felicia | "My System" | ||||||||
| Brandsta City Släckers | "Rakt in i elden" | ||||||||
| Medina | "Viva L'Amor" | ||||||||
| Saga Ludvigsson | "Ain't Today" | ||||||||
| 1st, round 1, heat 4 | |||||||||
| 1st, round 2, heat 4 | |||||||||
| 1st, round 1, heat 5 | |||||||||
| 1st, round 2, heat 5 | |||||||||
| Most voted final qualification entry | |||||||||
| 1st, round 2, final qualification | |||||||||
References
- ^ a b Nyheter, S. V. T. (19 December 2025). "Gina Dirawi och Hampus Nessvold programleder Melodifestivalen 2026". SVT Nyheter. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "Hit åker Melodifestivalen 2026 – hela listan". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 17 September 2025. Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ "Sweden: Artists for Melodifestivalen 2026 revealed". Eurovisionworld. 2 December 2025. Archived from the original on 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ Loberg, Therese (26 January 2026). "Melodifestivalen 2026: Ändringarna – finalkvalbesked flyttas" [Melodifestivalen 2026: The changes – final qualifying announcement postponed] (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ Robertson, Ben (30 January 2026). "More Changes To Melodifestivalen's Voting Process". ESC Insight. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ^ "Hit åker Melodifestivalen 2026 – hela listan". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). 17 September 2025. Archived from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ Farren, Neil (15 August 2025). "🇸🇪 Sweden: Melodifestivalen 2026 Submission Window Opens August 18". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ De-re, Julien (12 September 2025). "🇸🇪 Sweden: 3,888 Songs Submitted for Melodifestivalen 2026". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Robertson, Ben (3 December 2025). "The Hottest, Fieriest Melodifestivalen We've Known?". ESC Insight. Archived from the original on 3 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (2 December 2025). "Hela listan: Alla artister som tävlar i Melodifestivalen 2026". SVT Nyheter. Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ Granger, Anthony (2 December 2025). "🇸🇪 Sweden: Melodifestivalen 2026 Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Melodifestivalen 2026 – artister, låtar, deltävlingar, final". Mellopedia (in Swedish). 31 January 2026. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ^ Loberg, Therese (26 January 2026). "Melodifestivalen 2026: Ändringarna – finalkvalbesked flyttas" [Melodifestivalen 2026: The changes – final qualifying announcement postponed] (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 26 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ^ Bardell, Andreas (1 February 2026). "Efter stora tittarilskan – SVT ändrar upplägget" [After major viewership scandal – SVT changes the layout] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
External links
- Mellopedia page (in Swedish)
- Melodifestivalen official website (in Swedish)
- SVT Play page (in Swedish)