Now Eurovision 2026 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the wild ride of Vienna, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2026 final saw some very dramatic results, but 2 acts in particular had results that weren’t as high as they were expecting.

As we know now Bulgaria were not expected to win the whole contest, being only third in the odds with a betting winning chance of a mere 10%. Ahead of Bulgaria were Finland and Australia. While by no stretch of the imagination did either have a bad result, it’s still worth wondering; what went wrong for Australia and Finland.

Who are Linda and Pete?

Linda Lampenius is a 56-year-old classical violinist. Born into a theatre and classical music-based family, Linda learned to play the violing at the age of five. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, Linda embarked on a successful music career, performing across the world and even giving performances at the Nobel Prize ceremonies.

Pete Parkkonen is a 36-year-old singer from the Finnish town of Pihtipudas. He first shot to fame when he took part in Idol in 2008, finishing in third place. Since then, he has released two albums and has become a much-loved figure in Finnish music.

The duo came together to write their song for Eurovision 2026 – “Liekinheitin”, writing the song together with Antti RiihimĂ€ki, Lauri Halavaara and Vilma Alina LĂ€hteenmĂ€ki.

Did you think Finland was going to win?

Samantha: Absolutely! This was my winner, and for once I felt like I was onto something, well 
 clearly I was wrong! I think this had huge potential, and the staging was perfect. Obviously it leaned into the classical music scene that JJ had brought to the contest, but Linda and Pete put their own Finnish twist on it that worked really well. The song felt distinctive but appealing so that everyone could appreciate something about it. 

Kittens: I think this was always going to be up there, but I was never quite so sure that it was going to actually win. I think it kinda ran out of momentum a bit in terms of hype (and I am well aware that the fan hype only has x amount of influence on the actual result) as people got more passionate about other songs. Sometimes you just get outclassed by other songs, and it is what it is.

Tom: No. Not that it didn’t deserve to, it was a good song and a good performance, but I always thought this was a victim of classic eurofan overhype. I think the discussion of violin will-they-won’t-they was far too much for the end product, and this ended up exactly where it deserved, high, but not a winner.

Was the hype around Finland winning warranted, or not? And was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?

Samantha : I think the hype was absolutely warranted, and the song was 100% good enough for the contest. My only issue was that it perhaps got too much hype. When everyone starts assuming that an entry is going to win, I wonder if some people subconsciously stop voting for it because they think it’s already guaranteed to do well. And if everyone thinks that way, suddenly the favorite has a problem. I think there’s a point where constant hype can work against an entry. When you hear about something being the winner over and over again, you can eventually get a bit tired of it before the contest has even happened. That doesn’t take away from the quality of Finland’s entry at all, but I do wonder whether the expectations became almost impossible for it to live up to.

Kittens: Yes of course it was good enough. These are two exemplary performers on stage who know exactly what they are doing, without any issues. There was never any doubt about that. And the song, yes catchy yes would attempt to sing, (would absolutely do several dishonours to the Finnish language doing it). Was the hype warranted? I think yes, this had a lot going for it. I don’t think it was a mistake that this was so high up on people’s lists. This will be an ESC classic for a long while.

However: I think there’s an argument here about Finland getting so wrapped up in the hype that it forgets there’s still a game to play here. Lifting the staging purely from the national final means that it just didn’t get that re-hype from that, and I don’t think it told the story of the song well to an international audience. More should have been made of what this song was about, and the lack of a typical vocal hook (the violin is the hook not the vocal) could have made people forget what to vote for when it came down to it
 And while people are still hearing bangaranga bangaranga in their heads, do they still hear liekinheitiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnn in the same way?

Tom: Absolutely good enough, both of these performers were class acts and did an amazing job. It just was not worth AS much hype as it got in my opinion. This was a great entry, but there was lots of great entries this year and I don’t think a violin and some flames is enough to outsell some of the others for me. For the longest time, this was the favourite in the odds to be a win and I just don’t think it had that extra special spark that warranted that. It is still a good song, I still listen to it, but I just don’t love it enough to pick up the phone (or online voting tab) and vote for it.

What does Finland need to do to win the contest?

Samantha : Not gonna lie, I don’t know. Finland is usually somewhere in my top 10, and they’ve come pretty close to winning in recent years but somehow always seem to fall short at the final hurdle. I don’t think they need to completely reinvent themselves. They’ve perfected UMK, and I think the quality of the national final and the entries they send is one of their biggest strengths. If anything, I think Finland needs to stop trying to look like the favorite. If they could pull a Bulgaria 2027 and arrive with something that needs quite some tweaking from the national final, but the foundation of being onto something is there and that ultimately blows people off guard, I think they could win. 

Kittens: It’s coming. Sooner or later, for sure, if they keep this up. Yle need to be applauded for what they’ve done to their NF, and it is paying off for them. Just because they don’t have a win yet, shouldn’t be seen as a mark of failure – and hopefully this result doesn’t push them to try and make too many messy changes – you’re doing amazing sweetie.

Tom: Ah ya know what nowt. They’re on track. They have hype almost every year. They’re ready to host again. I can’t quite explain what has stopped them other than other countries outperforming them somehow. Maybe they’re trying too hard if that’s even possible.

What are our outlooks for future contests?

Samantha : I’m really excited about Finland’s future. I love that well-known names in the Finnish music scene aren’t afraid of competing at UMK and then the possibility of heading to Eurovision. I would love to see Finland win again because I think they’ve been incredibly consistent in terms of quality, whether that’s at UMK or Eurovision. They clearly know how to put together a strong entry, and I hope they don’t panic just because they haven’t quite managed to get the win yet.

Kittens: UMK is a standout contest every year and all they have to do is keep going. Just keep going. That’s where we’re at. I do think there’s an argument for them to always look for something special and not become complacent – but this was absolutely something special, it just wasn’t as loved maybe as some other songs. That’s not a critique really when it comes to UMK – it’s just the way it is with the contest.

Tom: Keep up the passion and the want to win, but don’t get so caught up in the hype = votes formula. And keep sending quintessentially Finnish sounding songs, they’ll get a win again in the next few years I’m almost certain.

Watch the accompanying discussion video here:

Finland’s Eurovision Journey

Finland debuted in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing 10th with Laila Kunnunen’s “Valoa ikkunassa.” Since then they have competed 56 times, and appeared in the final 48 times. Finland has finished in the top 10 an impressive 14 times. They have won the contest once in 2006, with Lordi’s performance of “Hard Rock Hallelujah” getting 292 points.

Finland’s most recent entry was “Liekinheitin” by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen. Competing in the first semi-final, Linda and Pete qualified for the final, and would eventually finish in 6th place with 196 points. Of these, 138 came from the televote, while the jury awarded them 141 points.

What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Finland could have won? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2027!

Source: That Eurovision Site

Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

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