Will Finland be in the top 3 at Eurovision 2026?

Analysis

Finland didn't just survive the semi-final — they devoured it. 'Liekinheitin' landed hard in the room, the live staging translated every inch of the rehearsal buzz into something the crowd could feel, and that changes everything at Eurovision. Once a favourite proves the stage actually works, you stop talking about hype and start talking about trophies. The crossover they're playing is genuinely smart. Violin-meets-schlager has jury appeal baked in, and the sheer spectacle drags the televote along too. That's a rare combination — most acts win one camp and sacrifice the other. Yes, the second semi-final still has to settle, and a diaspora surge can scramble Saturday's leaderboard in ways nobody sees coming. But Finland has already done the hard part: qualified, leading the betting markets, and the live buzz hasn't cooled a degree. When an act has this much momentum — real money, real room reaction, a song built to win both juries and viewers — you back them. I'd take Finland for the top three, and I'd do it before the second semi adds any more noise.