Eurovision Frontrunners Listed
- Sortiraparis published a preview naming five top contenders for Eurovision’s 70th edition. - The guide explicitly highlights France’s entrant, Monroe, among the leading competitors. - Sortiraparis frames these contenders as the early media favorites as the contest approaches. (sortiraparis.com)
Bookmakers’ early Eurovision 2026 board has Finland in front and France close behind, with Monroe now listed among the leading contenders. (sortiraparis.com) Sortiraparis updated its favorites list on March 23 and put Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen first with “Liekinheitin,” giving the duo a 28% chance of winning at that point. The same ranking placed France second with Monroe and her song “Regarde!” ahead of the May contest in Vienna. (sortiraparis.com) The official Eurovision site lists 35 songs for Vienna 2026, including Monroe’s “Regarde!” for France and Finland’s “Liekinheitin.” Eurovision’s 70th edition is scheduled for two semi-finals on May 12 and May 14, followed by the grand final on May 16. (eurovision.tv, sortiraparis.com) Vienna is hosting because Austria won Eurovision 2025 with JJ’s “Wasted Love.” That result turned the 2026 contest into a return visit for Austria and set up Vienna as the venue for the anniversary edition. (eurovision.tv, wikipedia.org) France’s entry stands out because Monroe is 17 and was chosen internally by France Télévisions rather than through a public national final. Sortiraparis says she broke through in 2025 after winning “Prodiges” on France 2 and released a self-titled debut album the same year. (sortiraparis.com) Sortiraparis describes Monroe as an opera singer raised between France and the United States who trained in classical music before moving toward a more contemporary style. The outlet also reports that she is scheduled to perform in churches and cathedrals in Versailles, Montreuil and Paris before Eurovision week. (sortiraparis.com) Finland’s lead reflects a very different pitch: Lampenius is a classical violinist known as Linda Brava, while Parkkonen first became widely known on “Idols” in 2008. Sortiraparis says their song mixes rock, classical music and dance, a blend that has kept them at the top of the early odds. (sortiraparis.com) These rankings are still bookmaker snapshots, not rehearsal or jury results, and Eurovision’s official lineup shows the field is already crowded at 35 songs. With the semi-finals set for mid-May, the early favorite list is now a marker of momentum rather than a final verdict. (sortiraparis.com, eurovision.tv)
