For those of you who are worried about my money: I got my money back since the Dutch entry got a DNS (did not start) flag in the contest.
I don’t care about the money. The mood in The Netherlands at the moment is: Fuck the EBU, fuck Eurovision. This years edition had so much controversy, the slogan ‘United by Music’ looks like a joke.
Swedish people were unhappy that their entry was actually from Norway. Israël participating caused a lot of upset. And then Joost Klein was banned.
What happened is still unclear. The Dutch say he made a threatening gesture to a female camera woman, the EBU say he mollested her and her camera. It is under investigation.
Personally I liked Croatia better than Zwitserland. What place the Dutch would have gotten we will never know. Joost Klein is still extremely popular everywhere, not only in Holland. It’s a shame how things developed. This songcontest was invented to celebrate that Europe is united and wars are a thing from the past. It looks like we are overtaken by reality. 
yes you are right ,but because they put a lot of money in ,they can be bottom and still be in the final thats 1 of the rules they made i think that untied kingdom should stop paying money and put it where its needed
How much is ‘a lot of money’? To put things in perspective, here are some facts:
The Big Five (Germany, UK, Spain, Italy, and France) pay about 400.000 Euro’s per year. For that they are automaticaly placed in the final
Every day, an episode of the News, (BBC News, Tagesshau) or a single episode of your favorite tv series costs around that much. (400.000 Euros)
When you win the contest, next year you are the host. Hosting the event costs around 8 to 30 million euros. The EBU provides around 6 million euros. The host will have to pay the rest.
To be a member of the EBU, a country annualy has to pay between 40.000 and 400.000 euros, depending on its size. <source>
So there you go. Being one of the Big 5 is relatively cheap. It guarantees a place in the final and the continuity of the organisation.
Je n’ai rien contre Israel, mais je pensais que c’était un concours européen. A ma connaissance Israel ne fait pas partie de l’europe …
Australia has also participated in the ESC. That is strange, considering the fact that Australia is not a part of europe at all. 
It is not important if part of Europe but Member of the EBU. Israel is in Asia as well…
There was a certain outburst group that actually actively formed a boicot of the regular competition because they wanted to protest against the basic human rights and civil rights breaches being committed and such stuff. It was actually quite quite a lot of writing space about this also in some norwegian media for example.
The whole of The Netherlands have declared war against the Eurovision organisation. But we don’t fight with bullets and guns. We choose music and love.
Hey everyone, I know it might still be a bit early, but with Eurovision 2026 getting closer, I was wondering how people are seeing things this year in terms of predictions.
I haven’t really followed Eurovision that closely in the past, at least not from this kind of angle, but this year I’m trying to pay a bit more attention. What I’m noticing so far is that it doesn’t feel like there’s a clear standout yet. In some years you kind of get that “okay, this one is the one to beat” feeling, and I’m not really getting that now.
There are a few countries that seem to be getting mentioned more often (Finland, France, maybe a couple of others), but nothing that feels completely locked in. And from what I understand, things can shift a lot once rehearsals and live performances start.
Another thing that surprised me a bit is that it feels quieter than usual. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see as much hype or discussion compared to previous years. Not sure if that means anything or if it’s just too early in the cycle.
For those of you who follow Eurovision more closely:
– What do you usually look at when trying to get a sense of who might do well?
– Is it more about the song itself, the live potential, or just general momentum?
– And do you feel like this year is more open than usual?
Curious to hear how others are reading this edition 
I hope Finland will win 
I think Finland will win. We ( Greece) have some small chance but i dont think so. I hope France or Sweden will not win
Since I am norwegian originally. There is only a natural cause that I do hope Sweden will not win.
I’m not entirely sure, but my dad tells me that the song which has been the biggest hit over the years, right up to the present day, was a Swedish song by the group ABBA. My country, Spain, has boycotted Israel’s participation and so will not be taking part, and Spain is one of the main sponsors of this contest
Yeah, that is so absolutely true. And believe it or not I like Abba very much as a group and I listen quite some times to them when I feel like it. 
The country where I live, Portugal, didn’t boycott the contest, but I don’t think it will make it to the final this year; the song is based on the folk music of a specific region of the country and reflects the folkloric character of that region.
According to the actual participation rules. It is not a requirement to be a member of europe to be able to participate as a nation. What is the deciding thing is that a nation actually is member of the EBU. That is the cause why for example Australia is able to participate. 
Yeah, I think your reading of this year is actually pretty accurate, and it’s something a lot of people who follow Eurovision more closely are noticing as well.
If you look at how things are shaping up so far, especially when you start comparing different prediction models and odds, what stands out is exactly what you mentioned: there isn’t a runaway favorite. Finland is definitely being mentioned a lot, and you also see France, sometimes Sweden or a couple of others in that conversation, but nothing feels “locked” yet.
What’s interesting is that when you look at the odds at this stage, they don’t necessarily reflect certainty, but rather current sentiment. In other words, they’re more about who people expect to do well based on the studio version, hype, and early reactions — not necessarily who will actually win once everything is on stage.
From what I’ve seen looking at those numbers, Finland is often leading, but not by a huge margin. That usually tells you it’s an open year. In seasons where there is a clear favorite, the gap tends to be much bigger even this early. Here, it feels more like a cluster of contenders rather than a dominant entry.
Another key factor, like you mentioned, is rehearsals. Eurovision history is full of songs that were mid-tier in the odds and then exploded after the first live performances. Staging, camera work, charisma — those things can completely flip the narrative in a matter of days.
And regarding the “quieter” feeling this year, I actually agree with you. It doesn’t feel like there’s that one viral entry everyone is talking about nonstop. But in a way, that might make the contest more interesting. When there’s less hype concentration, it usually means more volatility — and more room for surprises.
So to answer your questions:
– The song still matters, but probably less than people think
– Live performance and staging can be decisive
– Momentum (especially close to the semi-finals) is huge
– And yes, this definitely feels like a more open year than usual
Honestly, this is the kind of year where trying to call a winner too early can be misleading. It’s much more about watching how things evolve week by week.
Curious to see if Finland holds up once we get to rehearsals, or if someone else suddenly takes over
I haven’t listened to all the songs yet, but from what I’ve heard so far, this feels like kinda weak year =(
I’m Ukrainian, and we usually slay Eurovision, but this year our girl got an extremely hard song to sing live. Sometimes she doesn’t fully deliver it, but we hope everything goes smoothly for her
For now, my vote 100% goes to Moldova, idc what are the odds of winning 
Don’t worry I am pretty sure Germany already secured the last place 
well it is called the Eurovision song contest so it should only be for Europe I think the name gives it away a bit if you want others in then call it world song contest or do you want me to send you a map