Watch: The fifth heat of Melodifestivalen 2026 begins tonight at 20:00 CET. Two songs will secure spots in the final, while one will advance to the final qual (“Second Chance”) round, also taking place tonight. A viewing link is provided.
Europe’s largest and most beloved Eurovision national selection, Melodifestivalen 2026, continues with its fifth heat and final qual round! This round will take place in Gärdehov Arena, Sundsvall.
Six songs will compete in the fifth heat tonight. The two songs receiving the highest number of votes will qualify directly for the Grand Final, which will take place on March 7th in Stockholm. An additional song will advance to the “second chance” round at the end of the fifth heat for another opportunity to reach the final. In tonight’s “second chance” stage, held immediately after the heat, the Swedish audience will vote to decide which two songs – among those from all heats that did not qualify directly – will ultimately secure a spot in the Grand Final.
The winner of the final will represent Sweden in the first half of the first semi-final of Eurovision 2026, in Vienna, Austria.
The heat will begin at 20:00 CET.
To watch the fifth heat and the final qual of Melodifestivalen 2026, click here!
Fifth Heat Contestants:
- AleXa – “Tongue Tied“
- JULIETT – “Långt från alla andra“
- Bladë – “Who You Are“
- Lilla Al-Fadji – “Delulu“
- Vilhelm Buchaus – “Hearts Don’t Lie“
- Sanna Nielsen – “Waste Your Love“
Click on the song’s title in order to listen!
Familiar Names From The Fifth Heat:
Sanna Nielsen – 40 years old, one of the most respected singers and hosts in Sweden. She is well known to Eurovision fans through her seven participations in Melodifestivalen, including one win representing Sweden at Eurovision 2014 with the song “Undo,” where she finished third. Her known songs from Melodifestivalen participation include “I går, i dag” from 2001 (3rd place), “Empty Room” from 2008 (2nd place), and “I’m In Love” from 2011 (4th place). She became known at age 11 with the song “Till en fågel”, making her the youngest ever to top the Swedish charts.
AleXa – also known by the stage name Kim Seri, won the 2022 American Song Contest (a local version of Eurovision). She is expected to bring the energetic choreography unique to the successful K-pop genre. According to Swedish media, the move is supported by the management and production team of Swedish artist Cazzi Opeia, who co-wrote AleXa’s winning song “Wonderland” together with Andreas Carlsson and other collaborators.
Vilhelm Buchaus – 24 years old, started his journey toward Eurovision at just 12 years old, competing two years in a row in the Swedish Junior Eurovision preselection. Both times, he finished second, with the second as part of a band. Last year, Buchaus competed in Melodifestivalen with the song “I’m Yours,” which did not qualify for the final but was beloved by the Swedish audience and became a radio hit.
Bladë – 27 years old, participating for the third time in Melodifestivalen: in 2015, she sang “Don’t Stop,” reached the final, and finished seventh; in 2016, she sang “I Will Wait” and was eliminated in the Second Chance round. She also co-wrote “I Do Me” by Malou Prytz for Melodifestivalen 2019, which reached the final but finished last in 12th place. From 2020 – 2023, Tangblad took a step back to serve as a backing vocalist on six songs competing in Melodifestivalen and now feels ready to return to the front.
The Results So Far:
In the first heat, held in January 31st, the two artists who topped the votes and advanced directly to the final were Greczula with the song “Half Of Me”, and the band A-Teens performing “Iconic”. The artist who came third was Jacqline with her song “Woman”, who qualified for the “Second Chance” round that will take place on February 28th, where she will compete again for a spot in the grand final.
In the second heat, held in February 7th, Felicia qualified with her song “My System”, and Brandsta City Släckers joined her with the song “Rakt in i elden”. The act that will compete again in the “Second Chance” round for a spot in the final from the second heat is Robin Bengtsson with “Honey Honey”.
The third heat, held in February 14th, two more finalists determined: Medina with “Viva L’Amor”, and Saga Ludvigsson performing “Ain’t Today”. The artist finishing third, moving to the “rescue round,” was Eva Jumatate with “Selfish”.
In the fourth heat, held last Saturday, the first act to qualify directly to the final is Smash Into Pieces with their song “Hollow“. Cimberly joined them with the song “Eternity“. The act that will compete again in the “Second Chance” round for a spot in the final is Meira Omar with the song “Dooset Daram“.
Melodifestivalen 2026 Schedule
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Saturday, January 31st, 2026 – Heat 1 in Saab Arena, Linköping -
Saturday, February 7th, 2026 – Heat 2 in Scandinavium, Göteborg -
Saturday, February 14th, 2026 – Heat 3 in Kristianstad Arena, Kristianstad -
Saturday, February 21st, 2026 – Heat 4 in Malmö Arena, Malmö -
Saturday, February 28th, 2026 – Heat 5 and Final qual in Gärdehov Arena, Sundsvall
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Saturday, March 7th, 2026 – Grand Final in Strawberry (Friends) Arena, Stockholm
Format and 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, as tradition dictates, will 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 “Final Qual” round: This gives participants who placed third 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 the 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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Tal Dahan – Journalist, radio broadcaster, and Eurovision content creator.
Tal Dahan is an Israeli journalist and editor specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest, working with the EuroMix editorial team for four years. Since 2022, she has provided regular on-site coverage of Eurovision from the host city, and from 2023 has also reported directly from the press room—offering the Israeli audience live updates, exclusive interviews, and in-depth commentary.
Tal is a member of the Eurovision tribute and parody band “EuroFalsh,” a radio broadcaster, and a student of political science and communications.
She is considered one of Israel’s leading young Eurovision experts. In addition to covering the main contest, Tal has reported from Eurovision pre-parties and national selection events across Europe (in Thessaloniki, Stockholm, Madrid, and more), been interviewed by major media outlets in Israel and internationally, and presented Eurovision-themed podcasts and radio shows.
