Swedish broadcaster SVT has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria, and will once again use Melodifestivalen to select its representative.
Today (Friday), the Swedish television network SVT published the rulebook for Melodifestivalen, which will be used to select its representative for Eurovision 2027. By doing so, it officially announced Sweden’s participation in the Eurovision 2027 Song Contest, set to take place in Burgas, Bulgaria. Sweden is the 21st country to confirm its participation in thecontest. Among the countries that have already confirmed their participation are Israel, Italy, Germany, the UK, Finland, Canada (which will be competing for the first time), and the host country, Bulgaria.
As of now (August 2026), the Swedish television network SVT has not yet officially announced the final dates for the live shows and the host cities. This announcement typically takes place later in the autumn. However, the song submission window opened just today, August 21, 2026, and will close on September 11.
As in previous years, Melodifestivalen will once again serve as Sweden’s national selection event for Eurovision. This marks the 64th time that the Swedish entry will be chosen via this platform, which has selected every Swedish Eurovision representative except for the country’s debut in 1958, when singer Alice Babs was selected internally, and except for Sweden’s absences from the contest in 1964, 1970, and 1976. Further details regarding Melodifestivalen 2026 will be revealed in due course.
Melodifestivalen Structure:
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Heats (Deltävlingar): The competition consists of five semi-finals, and in each of them, six songs compete. From each heat, the two songs that receive the most votes from the audience at home advance directly to the Grand Final.
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Second Chance Phase (Kvalet): The songs that placed third and fourth in each of the five heats, ten songs in total, receive another chance. This phase is conducted as a flash vote immediately at the end of the fifth heat, from which the Swedish audience selects the final two songs to complete the lineup for the final.
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The Grand Final (Final): In the climax of the competition, 12 songs compete for the ticket to Eurovision. The winner is determined by a combined score of the Swedish televote and points awarded by international juries, usually split evenly at fifty percent each.
Sweden’s Eurovision Legacy
Sweden is widely regarded as a Eurovision powerhouse. Across its 64 appearances, the country has claimed victory seven times and shares the record for most wins with Ireland. Notably, both countries have produced the only two artists to win Eurovision twice: the first was Johnny Logan from Ireland, who triumphed in 1980 and 1987. The second was Loreen from Sweden, who won in 2012 and again in 2023.
Sweden’s impressive track record includes finishing in the top five a remarkable 28 times – securing first place seven times, second place once, third place six times, fourth place four times, and fifth place ten times. Sweden has also placed between sixth and tenth an additional 17 times.
An official and final list of participating countries for Eurovision 2026 is expected to be published in October.
Sweden at Eurovision 2026
“My System” is the song that was performed by the singer Felicia, which represented Sweden in the Eurovision Grand Final on May 16th, in Vienna, Austria, and came in 20th place. The song was written by Felicia Eriksson herself, together with Audun Agnar, Emily Harbakk, Julie Bergan and Theresa Rex. This is the first Eurovision entry by all songwriters. The song was performed entirely in English.
Eurovision 2026: This was 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”.
