For the seventh time, Netta Barzilai, Eurovision 2018 winner, will try to predict the host city of Eurovision 2026 – a tradition where her guesses have always been wrong, sparking playful speculation.

On Wednesday, August 20th, between 07:30 and 08:30 CEST, the Eurovision fan community will turn its attention to Austria. In cooperation with the EBU, Austria will officially announce the city that will host Eurovision 2026. As every year, fans across the continent are trying to guess which city will be selected, and, as part of her annual tradition, Eurovision 2018 winner Netta Barzilai will publish her own prediction. Until now, Netta’s guesses have always been incorrect, leading many fans to jokingly believe that the city she does not choose is far more likely to become the official host. Netta announced earlier on her Instagram account that she will reveal her prediction at 02:00 CEST, just a few hours ahead of the official announcement.

 

הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם

 

‏‎פוסט משותף על ידי ‏‎Netta Barzilai‎‏ (@‏‎nettabarzi‎‏)‎‏

The Origins of Netta’s Eurovision Host Predictions

Each year since winning Eurovision in 2018, Netta has made her own prediction for which city will host the contest. The tradition began the night of her victory, when, upon receiving the trophy, she declared: “Next time in Jerusalem”. That statement turned out to be wrong, as Tel Aviv was eventually chosen as the host of Eurovision 2019. Since then, Netta has repeatedly attempted to name the host city, but each time her guess failed to match the outcome. This has gradually created a peculiar subculture among fans who believe that Netta’s predictions function as a kind of reverse oracle: if she picks one city, the odds increase that another city will actually host the competition. In the comments on her latest Instagram post, many fans even begged her to “curse” the city they least want chosen – hoping that the one they do prefer will ultimately win hosting rights.

Here is a look back at Netta Barzilai’s guesses for the Eurovision host city since this playful tradition began:

• For 2019, she predicted Jerusalem, but the host was Tel Aviv.

• For 2020, she predicted Amsterdam (before the cancellation that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic), while Rotterdam was later chosen and hosted in 2021.

• For 2022, she predicted Rome, but Turin hosted.

• For 2023, she predicted Manchester, but Liverpool hosted.

• For 2024, she predicted Stockholm, but Malmö hosted.

• For 2025, she predicted Geneva, but Basel hosted.

Now, fans eagerly await her 2026 prediction, wondering if – perhaps by sheer chance – Netta might finally guess correctly.