Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the final night begins. Italy hopes with Sal Da Vinci.

The favorites: who can really win

According to international bookmakers, the clear favorite remains Finland, with the duo Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who continue to dominate the odds with "Liekinheitin." With a powerful performance and impressive staging, they are considered by many to be the strongest of the edition, with a roughly 43% chance of winning. Australia's Delta Goodrem with "Eclipse" has made a comeback in the final hours, followed by Greece's Akylas ("Ferto"), Israel's Noam Bettan ("Michelle"), Denmark's Soren Torpegaard Lund ("For You Går Hjem"), Romania's Alexandra Căpitănescu ("Choke Me"), and Bulgaria's DARA ("Bangaranga").

For Italy, the odds have changed a lot in recent weeks.

Thanks to the Italian nostalgia effect, social media, rehearsals, and of course Tuesday's live performance, the Sanremo winner has climbed to the point of being considered a potential Top 5 contender . The most interesting fact concerns the televoting, where Sal Da Vinci—who sang fourth to last, historically a very favorable position because it remains fresh in the memory of European televoters— could garner enormous support, especially in Switzerland, Belgium, Malta, Germany, and among Italian communities scattered throughout Europe.

The jury

The winner of the seventieth edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be decided by a 50% vote from national juries and 50% from the public, including the "Rest of the World" vote from non-participating countries, which counts as one additional country. Among the 35 spokespeople for the national juries, broadcasting live from their respective capitals, will be Maria Sole Pollio, a Neapolitan actress and presenter, who will announce Italy's 12 points—her first time in the role.

(Unioneonline/D)