by Ilay Gaist Comment Closed




The Swedish media continues to report on more artists expected to take part in the Melodifestivalen 2026. This time, reports mention a surprising pop band with a connection to ABBA, expected to join the competition as well.

Melodifestivalen 2026, Sweden’s national Eurovision selection, has already sparked European media attention as Swedish outlets report on likely performers. Who will take the Melodifestivalen stage and deliver this year’s hits? After previous years’ big names such as Robin Bengtsson, Fröken Snusk, and Smash Into Pieces – who are set to return – the media is now naming two more possible participants.




A-Teens

The A-Teens, consisting of Sara Lumholdt, Amit Paul, Marie Serneholt, and Dhani Lennevald, all aged between 41 and 42, are a successful Swedish pop group that broke through in 1999 as a young tribute band to ABBA. They quickly became internationally known and released their final album of hits in 2004. After four albums, the band disbanded, but last year reunited to celebrate their 25th anniversary. The then-Melodifestivalen producer Christer Björkman had already tried to recruit the band for the competition 20 years ago, following the release of their 2004 album, though it remains unclear how far the talks went.

Sources to Aftonbladet said:

“Everything points to their participation in the competition. […] However, They’ve been working on a song several times, but it seems they’re not fully satisfied with the result. If they’re not completely happy with it – it just won’t happen”.

According to additional sources:

“SVT has been pursuing them for a long time. They hesitated and said no at first, but now everything points to their participation”.

Based on information obtained by the newspaper, the national broadcaster tried to convince the band to take part last year, but their response then was a clear and definitive “no”. Their upcoming participation in Melodifestivalen makes sense, as they reunited in 2024 on the competition’s stage as an interval act, and since then have performed successfully in South America and across Europe.




Additional Contestants Revealed

These names join other rumored contestants recently mentioned by the Swedish newspapers Expressen and Aftonbladet. These artists have not been officially confirmed or announced, and the official contestant list is expected at the end of November.

  1. Sanna Nielsen, 40, is one of the most respected singers and presenters in Sweden. Eurovision fans remember her for representing Sweden in the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with her entry “Undo”, which finished in third place, after seven attempts in Melodifestivalen. Her notable entries include “I går, i dag” (in English: “Yesterday, Today”) from Melodifestivalen 2001 (3rd place), “Empty Room” (2nd place, 2008), and “I’m In Love” (4th place, 2011). She first rose to fame aged 11 with the song “Till en fågel” (in English: “To a Bird”), which made her the youngest artist ever to top the Swedish charts. According to Expressen, she is expected to compete for the eighth time in Melodifestivalen.

  2. Emilia Pantic, also revealed by Expressen, is a 25-year-old pop artist who released her debut single “Roadkill” in 2022. Recently, she released “Han vill ha dig” (in English: “He Wants You”), a song tackling comparisons with her partner’s ex.

  3. Fröken Snusk rose to fame for her secret identity, always appearing behind a pink mask. She broke out in September 2022 with the track “Ride mig som en dalahäst”, which garnered over 20 million Spotify streams, and later competed in Melodifestivalen 2024 with “Unga & Fria”, though she did not reach the final. Despite this, her character and the song became nationwide hits. This time, she is expected to compete under her real name, Felicia.
  4. Greczula, whose full name is Kristofer Niklas Greczula, is a well-known and respected Swedish singer who placed third in Melodifestivalen 2025 with the song “Believe Me”. He began performing as a solo artist in 2017, and released his debut album “Live and Let Live” in 2022. That same year, he was featured on Sweden’s popular summer TV show, “Allsång på Skansen.”
  5. Manoel “Junior” Marques Lerin, born in Brazil, is set to make his Melodifestivalen debut in 2026. Known in Sweden as a photographer and television figure, he recently appeared on the Swedish version of “Dancing with the Stars” on TV4. Manoel is married to painter and author Lars Lerin, and has participated in numerous of his husband’s projects — both in his books and television shows.
  6. Medina, the duo that began their career in 2003, is a Swedish–Tunisian partnership featuring Sami Daniel Rekik, a former professional footballer in Tunisia, and Ali “Alibi” Jammali. Their music fuses hip-hop with Arab influences, a style they describe as “Hafla music”. The pair has achieved significant success and widespread love from audiences, placing third in Melodifestivalen 2022 with “In i dimman” and second in 2024 with “Que Sera”. a song that became a hit thanks to its heartfelt lyrics and genre-blending sound.
  7. Meira Omar – competed last year with “Hush Hush”, reaching the final via the second chance round and finishing tenth.
  8. Saga Ludvigsson – 19, placed twelfth at Melodifestivalen last year with “Hate You So Much” after a surprise direct qualification from her round, also known for second place in Swedish Idol.
  9. Smash Into Pieces – rock band with two recent Melodifestivalen runs: third place in both 2023 (“Six Feet Under”) and 2024 (“Heroes Are Calling”).
  10. Eva Jumatate – 17, rumored for her Melodifestivalen debut. Known as a prodigy in Sweden, she finished second on Swedish Got Talent at age 11 and has since appeared in musicals and TV series.
  11. Robin Bengtsson – 35, has previously competed in Melodifestivalen four times and even won the contest in 2017 with “I Can’t Go On”, taking fifth place for Sweden at Eurovision. He also entered the competition in 2016, 2020, and 2022. According to Expressen, Bengtsson is aiming for a fifth appearance – this time with a country song!
  12. Arwin Ismail – 17, a young and rising Swedish star known simply as Arwin, competed at Melodifestivalen 2025 with “This Dream of Mine,” advancing to the “second chance” round but missing the final.

  13. Jacqline Moss competed in Melodifestivalen 2024 and reached the final directly with “Effortless”, finishing ninth. The song later gained traction among Eurovision fans across Europe. After taking a career break to become a mother, Jacqline is reportedly ready for her comeback.

  14. Patrik Jean, a familiar name, co-wrote “Move” by The Mamas, which won Melodifestivalen 2020 but never represented Sweden after Eurovision’s cancellation due to COVID-19. He competed in 2021 with “Tears Run Dry”, but failed to reach the final.

  15. Felix Manu, a young and promising artist regarded as an emerging name on the Swedish music scene, is also expected to participate — seen as an ideal opportunity to reach a wider audience.

  • The band Korslagda has also submitted a song that received positive feedback from SVT and the competition’s jury, but no final decision has been announced on their participation.




So… What’s Next?

The national broadcaster continues to review the 3,888 songs submitted for Melodifestivalen 2026. Only 30 will be selected — 15 chosen by a professional jury and another 15 chosen internally by SVT.

Previous announcement dates were as follows:

  • Melodifestivalen 2025 – November 26th, 2024.
  • Melodifestivalen 2024 – December 1st, 2023.
  • Melodifestivalen 2023 – November 29th, 2022.
  • Melodifestivalen 2022 – November 26th, 2021.
  • Melodifestivalen 2021 – December 1st, 2020.
  • Melodifestivalen 2020 – November 26th, 2019.




Format and Expected Changes for Melodifestivalen 2026

Melodifestivalen 2026 will once again run for six weeks, featuring five heats and one big final. Each heat will be hosted in a different city across the country, while the grand final will, as tradition dictates, take place at Friends Arena in Stockholm. From each heat, the two top-ranked songs will advance to the final, which will feature 12 songs. The winner will be determined by a 50/50 combination of jury votes and public televoting. The Melodifestivalen winner will then represent Sweden at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, Austria.

SVT confirmed that the format changes introduced two years ago will remain in 2026, following overwhelmingly positive feedback from viewers. These include:

  • A “Second Chance” round: This gives participants who placed third or fourth in the semi-finals another opportunity to reach the final. Introduced in 2024, the system was praised as fair and exciting, giving popular songs another shot at the big stage.

  • Early song releases: Instead of waiting until the end of the semi-finals, all songs in each semi-final will be released on streaming platforms one day in advance. This allows fans to enjoy the music early, form opinions, and engage with the entries ahead of the live shows.




Sweden at Eurovision 2025:

“Bara bada bastu” (in English: “Just take a sauna”) is the title of the song which was performed by band KAJ, who represented Sweden in Eurovision 2025, in Basel, Switzerland – Placing 4th with 321 points. The song was written by the band members – Kevin Holmström, Axel Åhman, and Jakob Norrgård – along with Anderz Wrethov, Kristoffer Strandberg, and Robert Skowronski.

The song led the betting predictions throughout the competition, reaching a peak of 49% winning probability, but ultimately finished in fourth place with 321 points – 126 points from the juries, ranked sixth, and 195 more points from the public, ranked third.

Eurovision 2026: This will be Sweden’s 65th appearance in the competition. Sweden joined Eurovision in 1958 and has won the contest seven times over the years. The country’s most recent victory came in 2023, when Loreen won with the song “Tattoo”.