Eurovision Stalwarts Sweden Drift as Money Pours in for Greece

by Roy Brindley, 4 May 2026

Finland stands firm as the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest favourite, but Greece and Australia’s odds have shortened significantly.

Akylas will represent Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest. © Getty Images

Key Facts:

• Greece has been backed from 20/1 into 5/1 for Eurovision glory on May 16.
• Australia has also attracted money, but Sweden is friendless in the betting.
• Fan polls suggest Cyprus will outperform its odds.
• The BBC will broadcast the 2026 final across multiple platforms.

Greece has been the big mover in the Eurovision Song Contest betting. UK betting sites quoted the country on 20/1 odds at the turn of the year. 10/1 a week ago, the nation is now top-priced 5/1 to win the 2026 competition. The fun will start with the first of two semi-finals on May 12.

Akylas, who represents the Balkan country, will perform his song ‘Ferto’ fourth in the running order of 15 performances in a red-hot first semi-final. Also performing on the night are the competition favourites, Finland, and the sixth favourites, Israel.

Greece has won Eurovision once in 45 previous attempts. That success came in 2005, and the nation has finished in the top three only once since (2008). This year, the country relies on a song diplomatically described as a “contemporary electronic/pop production with subtle traditional Greek instrumentation and rhythms.”

Australia Comes in as Sweden Goes Out

Australia is another country that punters have latched on to. Once available on 16/1 odds, the nation’s odds have halved since mid-March. Making its debut in 2015, Australia has reached the final seven times with a best finish of second in 2016.

Moving in the opposite direction is Sweden. The seven-time winning nation was 8/1 in January, but punters can now avail of 28/1 odds. The price places the Scandinavian country seventh down the betting lists.

Sweden has finished in the top-10 ten times in the past 11 years (with eight top-6 finishes). However, pollsters do not like ‘My System’, performed by Felicia (who covers her face while performing) and the song in ‘only’ 8/15 to finish in the top half of the scoreboard.

Eurovision Song Contest Recent Results

2025

• 1st Austria (436 points)
• 2nd Israel (357 points)
• 3rd Estonia (356 points)

2024

• 1st Switzerland (591 points)
• 2nd Croatia (547 points)
• 3rd Ukraine (453 points)

2023

• 1st Sweden (583 points)
• 2nd Finland (526 points)
• 3rd Israel (362 points)

2022

• 1st Ukraine (631 points)
• 2nd UK (466 points)
• 3rd Spain (459 points)

2021

• 1st Italy (524 points)
• 2nd France (499 points)
• 3rd Switzerland (432 points)

2020

Cancelled/Covid

2019

• 1st Netherlands (498 points)
• 2nd Italy (472 points)
• 3rd Russia (370 points)

2018

• 1st Israel (529 points)
• 2nd Cyprus (436 points)
• 3rd Austria (342 points)

Polls Suggest Cyprus Is the Value

For much of the century, polling sites have proven to be a reliable guide to the Eurovision Song Contest’s outcome. This year, the biggest, Eurovisionworld, suggests bookmakers have their house in order with the 6/4 favourites, Finland, receiving almost double the votes of Denmark.

Curiously, while Greece is listed as 5/1 shots in the outright betting, Denmark (6/1) is polling considerably better than that rival. Earning 11% of the vote, compared to Greece’s 6%, it is the country that pollsters suggest will finish second.

France – slight drifters in the betting at 7/1 – is also more popular than Greece in the Eurovisionworld poll. Not too far behind, with a 5% vote share, is Cyprus, which could be a surprise package.

Bookmakers quote the Mediterranean Island country, with a best Eurovision finish of second in 2018, on 66/1 odds. Its song, ‘Jalla’, is partially sung in English and features a generous slice of sing-along – a surefire vote winner.

Antigoni Buxton, known mononymously as Antigoni, is a Cypriot performing artist born in London. Some British and Irish Eurovision viewers will recall her short-lived appearance as a contestant in 2022’s Love Island.

Ladbrokes and other UK-facing betting sites quote a Cyprus top-10 finish on 11/8 odds. If there is value in the current betting, the polls suggest this could be it.

How To Watch Eurovision 2026

The Eurovision Grand Final, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, will be broadcast live across BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds. As part of a boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – due to the inclusion of Israel – Irish state broadcaster, RTE, will not broadcast the event for only the second time since 1965.