The Swedish media reports three more artists joining Melodifestivalen 2026 – a returning contestant, a beloved country singer, and a newcomer connected to one of this year’s rumored participants.
Melodifestivalen 2026, Sweden’s national selection for Eurovision, continues to capture the attention of European media. For several weeks, Swedish outlets have been reporting on artists expected to take part in the contest. This time, reports highlight a performer returning for the second consecutive year, a beloved country singer, and a newcomer making her debut — but one with an interesting connection to another rumored contestant.
Vilhelm Buchaus
Vilhelm Buchaus, 24, joins no fewer than eleven other contestants familiar with Melodifestivalen, bringing the number of returning artists appearing for a second consecutive year to five.
Buchaus’s journey toward Eurovision began when he was 12, competing twice in Sweden’s Junior Eurovision selection. On both occasions, he placed second — the second time as part of a group. Last year, he entered Melodifestivalen with the song “I’m Yours”, which did not qualify for the final but gained strong public affection and became a radio hit in Sweden.
Erika Jonsson
Erika Jonsson, 34, rose to prominence through the national broadcaster’s series “Countrylandet Sverige”, which focused on Sweden’s country music scene. This year, she is set to bring the country genre directly to Eurovision’s national selection.
Jonsson enjoys widespread popularity, and one of her best-known songs, “Sången om Värmland” (in English: “Song About the Värmland Region”), surpassed 10 million Spotify streams. Recently, she signed with a record label that has achieved notable success in Melodifestivalen — making her upcoming performance one to watch closely.
Cimberly
Cimberly Wanyonyi (known simply as Cimberly), 20, is another new face joining Melodifestivalen this year — though not entirely unfamiliar to Swedish audiences, and certainly not to Saga Ludvigsson, a singer also returning to the competition.
Cimberly won Sweden’s “Idol” competition in 2023, defeating Ludvigsson in the final. Both established their place in the national music scene, and their renewed rivalry promises compelling drama. Reports indicate that Cimberly attempted to participate in last year’s national selection but was postponed to this season.
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.
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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.
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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.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.
- 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.
- Meira Omar – competed last year with “Hush Hush”, reaching the final via the second chance round and finishing tenth.
- 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.
- Smash Into Pieces – rock band with two recent Melodifestivalen runs: third place in both 2023 (“Six Feet Under”) and 2024 (“Heroes Are Calling”).
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The pop group A-Teens, composed of Sara Lumholdt, Amit Paul, Marie Serneholt, and Dhani Lennevald, all aged 41–42, remains one of Sweden’s most successful pop collectives. Originally formed in 1999 as a youthful tribute band to ABBA, they quickly gained worldwide fame and released their major hits album in 2004. After four studio albums, the group disbanded, but last year, they reunited to mark the 25th anniversary of their debut.
- 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:
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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.
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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”.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
