Nu kör vi!
The first deltävling (heat) of Melodifestivalen 2026 took place tonight. The two winners were Greczula and A*Teens, who go straight through to the Final, with Jacqline qualifying for the “Final qualification” in four weeks’ time.
The first deltävling was held in Saab Arena in Linköping. This marks the eighth time that Melodifestivalen has visited Linköping.
After tonight’s first heat in Linköping, the show will visit Göteborg, Kristianstad, Malmö, and Sundsvall before heading to Strawberry Arena in Stockholm for the Final on 7 March.
Melodifestivalen 2026 hosts: Gina Dirawi & Hampus Nessvold (Photo: Janne Danielsson / SVT)Melodifestivalen 2026 31 January: Heat 1, Linköping7 February: Heat 2, Göteborg14 February: Heat 3, Kristianstad21 February: Heat 4, Malmö28 February: Heat 5 + Final qualification, Sundsvall7 March: Melodifestivalen Final, Stockholm
Melodifestivalen 2026All about Melodifestivalen 2026
All shows will be presented by Gina Dirawi & Hampus Nessvold.
A total of 30 acts compete in five heats. Two entries from each heat go straight to the Final, one remains in the competition (Final qual), and three are eliminated.
Voting system
In all five heats of Melodifestivalen 2026, there are two rounds of voting. Viewers can vote via app and by telephone.
First round of voting:
The artist who receives the most votes qualifies directly for the Final of Melodifestivalen.
Second round of voting:
Viewers can again vote for the remaining five participants. These votes are added to the first round results. All app votes are divided into seven voting groups based on age, plus an eighth voting group consisting of telephone votes. Each voting group’s results are converted into 39 points (12, 10, 8, 5, 3, 1).
The artist who receives the highest total number of points from the eight voting groups qualifies for the Final.
Four artists remain. The one with the highest total number of votes across the entire show qualifies for the “Final qual” of Melodifestivalen.
After Heat 5, the five non-qualifying songs that received the highest vote totals in their respective heats compete in the “Final qual” (“Finalkvalet”, previously known as “Second Chance”). The song with the highest vote share in its heat qualifies directly for the Final. The public vote then decides the last finalist among the remaining four songs.
Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest
Since 1958, Sweden has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times, and with great success. Together with Ireland, they hold the record of most victories in Eurovision:
Sweden 2012: Loreen – “Euphoria”
They came in last two times (1963 and 1977), and since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004 Sweden has managed to qualify for the Grand Final 20 out of 21 times (only failing to qualify in 2010)!