Bets: The first odds for advancing to the final!

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Just over three weeks separate us from the start of rehearsals in Malmö ahead of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. As we head into the final stretch just before Eurovision 2024 takes place in the Swedish city, one of Eurovisionfun ‘s most loved and talked about columns is back, with our Eurovision 2024 betting analysis back again.

With bookmakers having started to offer more betting sections for the upcoming contest in recent hours, we take a look at the qualification odds for this year’s Eurovision grand final from the two semi-finals on May 7 and 9.

First semi-final

The first semi-final on May 7 is expected to be particularly competitive, according to the bookers. With just three companies offering the possibility of qualifying for Saturday’s grand final so far, the sample may be small, but it is still largely representative of what we will see on Tuesday’s show.

Four countries are considered by the betting companies to be guaranteed to qualify for the grand final of this year’s competition. Croatia, Ukraine, Finland and Lithuania are offered at odds of under 1.05, a big gap compared to the other eleven participating countries in this semi-final.

Particularly increased chances of qualifying for the grand final are given by bookers to Luxembourg, Cyprus, Serbia and Poland. The group of these countries is being played at odds between 1.25 and 1.33, which translates betting-wise into a qualification probability of over 70% for three of them(Cyprus, Serbia, Poland) and over 80% for Luxembourg in its return to Eurovision after more than three decades.

A battle is expected to be waged for the last two tickets to the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, where four countries are expected to fight for their place in the contest. Slovenia, Portugal, Australia and Ireland are being played at odds of between 1.44 and 1.75, with the former two currently looking like the frontrunners to get past the first semi-final hurdle, with all of them having more than a 53% chance of qualifying.

Finally, regarding the remaining three countries in the first semi-final, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Iceland, betting companies see them as the big underdogs for qualification. With regard to Azerbaijan, their chances of qualification are far from negligible, as they are offered odds of more than doubling, approaching 2.25. In contrast, Moldova and Iceland seem to have little chance of making it to the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, with Moldova being offered odds of between 3 and 3.75, while Iceland is offered odds of between 3 and 5.2.

Second semi-final

Things seem to be clearer in the second semi-final regarding the chances of the sixteen participating countries qualifying for the grand final on 11 May. The countries taking part in the second semi-final appear to be divided by the bookers into five sub-groups.

The first sub-group is made up of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. The three Central and Western European countries, which occupy three of the top six places in the odds of winning this year’s competition, are considered by bookmakers to be certain to qualify, which is why their odds of qualification are no more than 1.02.

All five countries in the second sub-group seem largely certain to qualify. Greece, Norway, Israel, Armenia and Austria are offered odds of between 1.04 and 1.2, which translates into qualification odds of 85% for Greece, 83% for Norway, 82% for Israel and Armenia and 81% for Estonia.

A “category” on its own is Estonia, whose qualification to the grand final is considered the most likely scenario, with bookers giving them around 70% odds and playing at odds between 1.28 and 1.33.

Georgia and Denmark are set to battle it out for the final ticket, with Georgia and Denmark both distancing themselves from the leading nine countries and the remaining five in the running. At odds of around 1.75, Georgia ‘s qualification is being played at odds of between 1.67 and 2.22, with bookies giving 52% odds to the Caucasians and 49% to the Scandinavians.

Finally, the last sub-group is the remaining five countries that will take part in the second semi-final on May 9. Latvia, Albania, San Marino, Malta and the Czech Republic are considered by bookers as the underdogs to qualify for the Eurovision 2024 final, as all of them have odds between 27% and 35% and are offered at odds that return around three times the initial stake.

In any case, with the pre-parties continuing in the coming weeks and with the start of rehearsals for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest less than a month away, the only thing that is certain is that the shake-up will continue and will culminate as the days for the big celebration in Malmö approach. Competition is fierce and all possibilities are open.

Which countries do you think will qualify for the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest? Tell us in the comments!

Hera Björk: “I Love Israel’s ‘Hurricane’, It’s a Very Strong Song!”

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After Silia Kapsis from Cyprus, another artist from Eurovision 2024 has found the courage to express their opinion about the Israeli participation, speaking with warm words. Specifically, Hera Björk from Iceland, in a recent interview, mentions that she really likes Eden Golan’s “Hurricane,” considering it a very strong entry.

I listened to the Israeli song, and I love it! It’s a very strong song.

Speaking to the Euromix correspondent at the Pre-party in Madrid, Hera thanks all the Israeli fans of the contest who support her so much, wishing everyone to be safe.

Thank you very much, I visited Tel Aviv, and it was wonderful. I hope you are all safe and enjoy this journey because I know we all have a common denominator, and these are difficult times with war and madness continuing at this moment. So, I hope Eurovision will be a beacon of light for all of us.

It is worth noting that Hera Björk won the national final in Iceland, defeating Bashar Murad, of Palestinian descent, who was the favorite to represent Iceland in Malmö. Indeed, some claimed that her victory was also based on support from Israel, something that was not proven.

Unlike Bashar Murad, who threatened that if he won the national final, there was a possibility of boycotting the competition in case of Israel’s participation, Hera had stated that she would participate normally regardless of Israel’s presence in Malmö.

You can watch the interview below:

Source: Euromix

Iceland: The detailed voting results of the semi-finals of Söngvakeppninn 2024!

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RÚV, the public broadcaster of Iceland, revealed the detailed voting results of the two semi-finals of Söngvakeppninn 2024, that took place on February 17 and 24.

First Semi-Final – February 17

  • Bíómynd – VÆB: 7.347 votes
  • Stingum af – ANITA: 6.514 votes
  • Sjá þig – Blankiflúr: 3.046 votes
  • Ró – Ceasetone: 1.344 votes
  • Fiðrildi – Sunny: 577 votes

Second Semi-Final – February 24

  • Vestrið Villt – Bashar Murad: 9.034 votes
  • Við förum hærra – Hera Björk: 8.552 votes
  • Um Allan Alheiminn – Sigga Ózk: 6.730 votes
  • Fljúga burt – MAIAA: 3.184 votes
  • Þjakaður af ást – Heiðrún Anna: 1053 votes

We remind you that Hera Björk manged to turn the tables with her song “Scared of Heights” and won the second round of voting of Söngvakeppninn, claiming the country’s representation against Bashar Murad with the song “Wild West”.

Iceland 2024: The detailed results of Söngvakeppnin

Iceland will participate in the First Semi-Final of Eurovision 2024, on May 7, and they will perform 8th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OouUsCZ3xkM

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Icelandic participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Source: RUV

Eurovision 2024: The running order of the semifinals has been revealed!

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With a month and a half to go until the first Eurovision 2024 semi-final on 7 May, the EBU today announced the order of the semi-final line-up.

The order of appearance was determined by the EBU in cooperation with the Swedish organisers, taking into account which place each country was drawn to perform (first or second), but also in a way that the show would be more interesting.

The official Eurovision YouTube channel announced a few minutes ago the official order of appearance of the songs in the semi-finals of this year’s contest.

It is worth noting that this year is the first year in which the Big 5 and the host country, Sweden, are going to perform their songs live in the two semi-finals. So, among the competing countries in the two semi-finals, we will see Germany, Sweden and the UK as guest stars in the first semi-final, while in the second semi-final we’ll see France, Italy and Spain.

Running Order

Semi-final 1 – Tuesday 7 May

  1. Cyprus
  2. Serbia
  3. Lithuania
  4. Ireland
    United Kingdom
  5. Ukraine
  6. Poland
  7. Croatia
  8. Iceland
    Germany
  9. Slovenia
  10. Finland
  11. Moldova
    Sweden
  12. Azerbaijan
  13. Australia
  14. Portugal
  15. Luxembourg

Semi-final 2 – Thursday 11 May

  1. Malta
  2. Albania
  3. Greece
  4. Switzerland
  5. Czechia
    France
  6. Austria
  7. Denmark
  8. Armenia
  9. Latvia
    Spain
  10. San Marino
  11. Georgia
  12. Belgium
  13. Estonia
    Italy
  14. Israel
  15. Norway
  16. Netherlands

The analysis from fans and beyond has been on fire for a few minutes now. After the theories based on the countries’ history in the competition, it’s a first insight into how deep the qualification to the final is or isn’t. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions about who will make it to the final and who are favourites to say goodbye to Malmö early…

Malmö will host the 68th Eurovision Song Contest from 7 to 11 May at the Malmö Arena. The motto of this year’s event, as chosen by the organisers, is ‘United by Music’.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the developments regarding Eurovision 2024!

Iceland: “There was no Israeli intervention in Songvakeppnin” says Yogel Segav

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Yongel Segav in his message to Eurovisionfun gives explanations for the issue that is being accused by a part of the Icelandic press today. Specifically, on behalf of KAN, he tried and succeeded in interfering in Songvakeppnin, in order to prevent the victory of Bashar Murad.

Yongel Segav explains to Eurovisionfun that the facebook group in which they are mentioned as instructing its members to support Hera Bjork so that she is the winner of Songvakeppnin and not Bashar Murad, is a small group of 400 members, of which only half are Icelandic. In addition, he adds that this was simply a proposal to friends, as there were similar proposals from dozens of pro-Palestinian activists in favor of Bashar Murad.

Hello, I’m Yogev Segal. The man who was written about in that lousy tabloid in Iceland. I work at KAN, it’s my daily job. I am working as a broadcast operator, a totally technical position in KAN channel. This fact has nothing to do with the matter. KAN has no role in this.

I have a deep connection with Iceland and Icelanders, I have visited Iceland 8 times and I have a website for travelers to Iceland in Hebrew. The “campaign” referred to in the article is nothing more than a post to a group of 400 people, half of whom are Israeli and half Icelandic. The post was worded in a very peaceful way – not against Bashar but against the meddling of politics in Eurovision.

Those who voted are Icelanders, not me. There is no “interference” here. In the superfinal, Hera won by a wide margin. As Palestinian activists wrote on every social network to vote for Bashar, I proposed something different, to a small group of people, some of whom are just my friends. There is nothing wrong with that! This is not an intervention. They tried to create a conspiracy theory.

Icelandic public television today confirmed that Hera Bjork will represent the country at Eurovision 2024 with the song Scared of Heights, putting an end to rumors that the country would withdraw from the contest, and to the questioning of Hera’s victory to the national final.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Iceland: The country will eventually be present in Malmö!

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RÚV has finally reached a decision. Iceland will participate in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö with Hera Björk and her Söngvakeppnin winning entry “Scared of Heights“.

Hera Björk won the national selection a week ago, however Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2024 remained unsure in the meantime.

Iceland’s participation in uncertainty

In January, RÚV stated that the country’s participation in Malmö is uncertain and will be discussed after the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024. The decision would be made by RÚV’s group and the winner of the national selection.

As a consensus was achieved in RÚV’s Eurovision group, Iceland will ultimately participate in Eurovision 2024.

Concerns regarding Söngvakeppnin’s results

Söngvakeppnin’s results sparked widespread criticism in Iceland, as Bashar Murad’s entry won the first round of voting but lost to Hera Björk in the second round. Many viewers expressed concerns about voting irregularities, claiming that votes for Bashar Murad were counted for Hera Björk instead. Furthermore, the co-author of Bashar Murad’s entry demanded an independent investigation of the contest’s results in order to maintain the organization’s trust and reputation.

In the meantime, one of “Scared of Heights” songwriters, Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir, has stated that she will not be following Eurovision 2024, as she does not think the results were fair.

Iceland: A songwriter from “Scared of Heights” has left the Eurovision team!

Iceland is allocated to perform in the second half of the first semi-final on May 7 with Hera Björk and “Scared of Heights“. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: ruv.is 

Iceland: Israeli influence behind Hera Björk’s victory!

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According to the Icelandic press the Israeli broadcaster KAN is behind the campaign against Bashar Murad.

The Israeli Yogev Segal who organized the campaign against Bashar Murad in Söngvakeppnin, Iceland’s selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest, according to the Icelandic website MANNLÍF, is an employee of Israel’s public broadcaster. Yogev Segal is the founder of a Facebook discussion group for Icelanders who support Israel.

Yogev Segal seems to have urged all members of this group to vote for Hera Björk in the final of Söngvakeppnin 2024. That is, he suggested that Israel’s supporters in Iceland should urge as many people as possible to vote for Hera Björk’s song. It was, according to him, the safest way to ensure that there would be no Palestinian on the stage of the competition in Sweden in May.

Within the aforementioned group, Segal admits to working for Israel’s state television, KAN, which, like the Icelandic one, is responsible for Israel’s participation in Eurovison. He suggests that reporting on his campaign is grist to the conspiracy theory mill. Finally he claims that Israel had no interest in the Icelandic national final.

For the record, Söngvakeppnin 2024 was won by Hera Björk with the song “Scared of Heights”, however this year the participation of the country is not considered certain, as the issue of the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine and the participation of the former in the competition is a point of friction in Iceland’s public sphere. The final decision on whether the island of ice and fire in Malmö will take part is expected today.

Source: SAMSTÖÐIN

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!

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Iceland: A songwriter from “Scared of Heights” has left the Eurovision team!

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Following the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024, news in Iceland have been running fast. While we wait for RÚV to decide whether the island nation will be present in Malmö or not, one of “Scared of Heights” songwriters has decided to opt out of the team.

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir has stated that she will not be following Eurovision 2024, regardless of RÚV’s decision. The question is, what are the reasons behind her withdrawal?

“Bashar Murad should have gone instead”

Söngvakeppnin’s results sparked widespread criticism in Iceland, as Bashar Murad’s entry won the first round of voting but lost to Hera Björk in the second round. Many viewers expressed concerns about voting irregularities, claiming that votes for Bashar Murad were counted for Hera Björk instead. Furthermore, the co-author of Bashar Murad’s entry demanded an independent investigation of the contest’s results in order to maintain the organization’s trust and reputation.

I suggested to RÚV that that result be left standing and that Bashar be allowed to enter the final competition as the undisputed winner of the competition. Maybe Hera would be allowed to go next year instead, but they rejected that idea.

Hence, she has decided to withdraw from Eurovision:

But I won’t follow the song to the finals if that happens. My conscience just won’t allow it.

Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir also conveys her disappointment at the hate speech Bashar Murad has been subjected to in Iceland, particularly when it is directed at someone who is on a “global mission“:

I have been in shock. Bashar is on a global mission. This scene was amazing and I admire him and his whole team. He is a brave and talented artist and I admire him and his professionalism throughout this process.

Her decision to opt out was strengthened by those racist remarks and actions, as she felt that:

And I have no interest as a songwriter and artist in winning a competition because of racism.

Israel’s involvement has also played its part

After the events in October, Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2024 has become a hot topic in Iceland. Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir had no idea what would happen when submitting the song to Söngvakeppnin 2024 in the late summer.

Nonetheless, Ásdís María Viðarsdóttir notes that despite her withdrawal:

I feel in a miserable position, but I’m still proud of Hera and her impeccable performance. There are a lot of people who put their all into making the scene as good as it really was. I do this in full love and respect for Hera and all the others.

Iceland still to reach its final decision

In January, RÚV stated that the country’s participation in Malmö is uncertain and will be discussed after the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024. The decision would be made by RÚV’s group and the winner of the national selection.

Hera Björk herself wants to be a part of the Eurovision community once again and seems positive to participate in Eurovision 2024.

However, no decision has still been made from RÚV’s side. According to Rúnari Frey Gíslason, the director of Söngvakeppnin:

The deadline for submitting data to the EBU is March 11. We are still looking into the matter.

We are now awaiting whether a consensus will be achieved on RÚV’s group, which will take the final decision.

The final decision is expected till tomorrow, so fingers crossed!

In case everything goes as planned, Iceland is allocated to perform at the second half of the first semi-final on May 7 with Hera Björk and “Scared of Heights“. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

Source: ruv.is

Iceland: Hera Björk’s participation in Eurovision 2024 is still uncertain!

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Eurovision 2024 remains a hot topic in Iceland. Protests and letters to RÚV calling for Iceland’s withdrawal from the contest have been ongoing since the list of participating countries was revealed in December, including Israel.

In January, RÚV stated that the country’s participation in Malmö is uncertain and will be discussed after the conclusion of Söngvakeppnin 2024. The decision would be made by RÚV’s group and the winner of the national selection.

Söngvakeppnin 2024 was concluded last Saturday, with Hera Björk triumphing against all odds. Despite the backlash over the voting process that resulted in Bashar Murad, the hot favorite, losing, Iceland’s participation in Malmö remains uncertain.

Why does Iceland’s participation remain uncertain?

Considering the aforementioned situation in Iceland and according to RÚV announcement in January, the decision would be made following Söngvakeppnin 2024.

Hera Björk has repeatedly stated that she intends to return to the Eurovision stage as a solo artist before winning Söngvakeppnin in 2024.

I want to go out and I’m taking aunt Úlla with me.

However, no decision has still been made from RÚV’s side. According to Rúnari Frey Gíslason, the director of Söngvakeppnin:

The deadline for submitting data to the EBU is March 11. We are still looking into the matter.

It appears that Hera Björk’s team wants to go to Eurovision and we are awaiting whether a consensus will be achieved on RÚV’s group, which will take the final decision.

In case everything goes as planned, Iceland is allocated to perform at the second half of the first semi-final on May 7 with Hera Björk and “Scared of Heights“. It will be Hera Björk’s second time-as a representative-on the Eurovision stage, having previously represented Iceland in 2010.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news! 

Source: visir.is

Iceland: Bashar Murad calls for the annulation of Söngvakeppnin’s super-final!

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The drama surrounding Söngvakeppnin 2024 results continues strong. Following the reveal of Söngvakeppnin 2024 detailed results, Bashar Murad publicly disputes the outcome and calls for the annulation of the super-final.

Regarding the detailed results, he stated via his official X account:

The duel has got to go.