Betting Odds Reshuffled with Ukraine Leading the Pack!

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With less than a month remaining until the official release of all entries for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, we are entering the most crucial month of the pre-Eurovision period, with national finals multiplying week by week.

For this reason, one of Eurovisionfun’s most beloved and talked-about columns returns, with betting analyses for Eurovision 2024 back in action.

While you prepare for the pivotal weeks ahead with the revelations of most entries ahead of May, bookmakers have already been hard at work, with the winner section of Eurovision 2024 already being offered by some companies. So, let’s take this opportunity and present to you what we know so far for the next contest.

Ukraine Emerges as the Top Favorite

As mentioned earlier, February is the month of most national finals, and understandably, this has caused reshuffles in the betting tables. Far ahead in the first position sits Ukraine. The Eastern European country, which has consistently topped the betting odds in recent weeks, is considered the major favorite by bookmakers to win in Malmo.

The triumph of Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil at Vidbir, where they “flattened” their competition, has skyrocketed the odds for Ukraine to win the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. At the moment, a Ukrainian victory returns up to 3.8 times the bet.

Italy has now risen to the second position. Angelina Mango’s victory with “La Noia” at the San Remo Festival has put the Mediterranean country in a particularly advantageous position, with bookmakers considering it the second most likely winner at the moment. Italy’s odds range from 7.5 to 10.

Croatia Takes the Third Spot

Croatia now sits in third place. The release of the video clip for Baby Lasagna’s entry, considered the major favorite to represent the Balkans in Malmo, has propelled Croatia to third place, just a breath away from second-placed Italy. Croatia’s victory is currently bet on odds ranging between 8 and 10.

In the fourth position is Sweden. The host country of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest is once again considered one of the big favorites of this year’s competition, with SVT executives and Swedish Eurofans eager for the historic eighth victory to take place on Swedish soil. A victory for Sweden is offered at odds between 11 and 15, showing a slight increase compared to our last analysis.

Rounding up the top five is Belgium. The recent release of “Before the Party’s Over” by Mustii seems to have thrilled betting companies, placing the Western European country within the Top 5 for the first time during this Eurovision season. Belgium’s victory is bet on odds between 10 and 15, just below the fourth position.

Top 10

In sixth place with clearly declining trends is the United Kingdom. Olly Alexander’s “Dizzy” teaser seems to have neither thrilled nor convinced bookmakers, who have now placed the United Kingdom outside the top five. It’s a significant drop, with the UK’s victory now returning up to 15 times the bet.

From there onwards, deviations from the group of leading six countries begin. Thus, in seventh place is Norway, whose victory now returns up to 21 times the bet. Similar odds are found for Iceland in seventh place, awaiting the second semifinal of the national selection, where Bashar Murad, of Palestinian descent, competes.

Lithuania follows in eighth place, which has returned to the top ten after Silvester Belt’s selection with “Luktelk“. Odds range between 17 and 21. France has returned to the top ten after a long time, with Slimane, whose potential victory triples the bet placed on it. Finally, Switzerland completes the Top 10, with odds ranging between 23 and 34.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_8cNbF8FLI

Do you believe Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil can make history in Malmo and give Ukraine its fourth victory in its twenty-year presence at the Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments!

UK: more details about Olly Alexander’s song and preparation for Eurovision revealed

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Olly Alexander is getting ready to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden.

In a recent interview, the artist shared more information about his preparation and promotion for his Eurovision entry for the coming weeks leading to the Grand Final.  According to the representative, his Eurovision journey after public broadcaster BBC internally selected him has been exciting and has significantly changed his schedule.

“I’m eating, drinking, and living Eurovision and just trying to get time in between with my cats and my boyfriend,” said the English singer to Cosmopolitan.  Moreover, he mentioned that, although he felt the pressure of representing the UK he is “excited because it’s such an amazing opportunity and it feels very special to be a part of”.

Olly Alexander is a Eurovision himself.  In the interview, he further revealed that he has followed the national selections and that he thinks Ukraine, the Netherlands, France and Norway are sending really good acts.  Moreover, he said that he has received messages from UK representatives Sam Ryder and Mae Muller.

Dizzy

Olly Alexander will represent the UK with the song Dizzy.  Talking about his Eurovision song, the singer stated:

Any good pop song should take you on a journey. A Eurovision song, especially, should have drama and I hope people feel taken on this thrilling ride. As you can tell from the title, the song is about the overwhelming feeling you get when you’re with someone. It’s upbeat, you can dance to it, and it’s just wild.

As part of his preparations, Olly Alexander will perform Dizzy live on the Graham Norton Show on March 01 on BBC One at 11:40 pm CET.  During this Eurovision special, Graham Norton will talk with the UK representative about his Eurovision participation.  We will also watch the music video for Dizzy during the Eurovision special.

Stay tuned at EurovisionFun for more news about the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024!

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Source: Cosmopolitan/ BBC Eurovision

Betting Odds: Ukraine Leads by Margin | Greece and Cyprus out of Top 20!

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Following the first Super Saturday of the year, we saw significant reshuffling in the betting odds chart. Three new songs were selected last night, and the odds saw many changes, with Ukraine maintaining its top position, and moreover, with a clear lead. Bad news for Greece, which has significantly dropped compared to our previous article, and for Cyprus, which, despite gaining ground, still finds itself low in the rankings.

Top 5

Ukraine remains in the first position, with a considerable lead over its pursuers. A victory for Teresa Maria is playing out in odds of approximately 3.5, with no significant changes compared to our previous article. The United Kingdom, after the release of a teaser for Olly Alexander’s song “Dizzy,” temporarily dropped to third place, but is now back in second. A victory for the United Kingdom is playing out in odds ranging from 7 to 9. Italy is third, and after Angelina Mango’s victory, its odds have dropped, with a victory playing out in odds from 7.5 to 11. Sweden is fourth, and so far, has not convinced that it has a winning song. Rounding out the top 5 is Israel, which, after Eden Golan’s victory, regained some ground it had lost in the previous period.

The other countries making up the top 10 are Iceland, Croatia, Georgia, Finland, and Ireland.

Greece and Cyprus

Greece continues to lose ground and is now found in 21st place. A victory for Marina Satti is playing out in odds of up to 66, when just a few months ago, it was playing out in odds up to 35. Cyprus, on the other hand, had an upward trajectory in recent days, likely due to the publicity received from the filming of the video clip in Limassol. Cyprus is now in 27th place, with a potential victory for Silia Kapsis playing out in odds of up to 90.

The many fluctuations we have seen this year at the top of the betting odds herald an exciting year where we won’t know the winner early on, as happened in the previous two seasons. Of course, under the proviso that no song emerges as a clear favorite, and betting companies crown it the unbeatable favorite, as was the case with Stefania and “Tattoo.” We are likely heading towards a repeat of 2021, where things didn’t clear up even during rehearsals, as we had 3-4 songs that were betting favorites vying for victory on almost equal terms.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!

United Kingdom: Listen to the teaser of Dizzy!

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Earlier today, Olly Alexander revealed the title of his song to be Dizzy. Now, a teaser of the song has been made available on twitter.

The song will be released on March 1st. The United Kingdom has really set the bar high for Eurovision 2024. Even at this early stage, we are all excited by the choice of Olly Alexander, an artist who has topped the UK charts and is well-known in Europe.

The team behind “Dizzy”

Olly Alexander has a powerful ally on his side for his Eurovision bid. Danny L. Harle, Dua Lipa’s producer, has put together Olly Alexander’s bid. Danny is the brains behind Dua’s latest smash hit “Houdini” and will probably serve as the executive producer on her upcoming third studio album.

Who is Olly Alexander?

The 33 year-old Olly Alexander is a singer and actor from England. He is best known for his work as the lead singer of Years & Years, one of the UK’s most successful groups and as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series “It’s a Sin”. Alexander has been multi-nominee in the Brit Awards as well as several other awards within the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom, the host of Eurovision 2023, was represented on home soil by Mae Muller and her song “I Wrote A Song“. Despite being a fan favorite, Mae did not come up to British expectations and finished second-last with 24 points.

Did you like the teaser? Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

 

United Kingdom: “Dizzy” is the title of Olly Alexander’s entry for Eurovision 2024!

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The United Kingdom has really set the bar high for Eurovision 2024. Even at this early stage, we are all excited by the choice of Olly Alexander, an artist who has topped the UK charts and is well-known in Europe.

Olly has been teasing us about his Eurovision entry for the past few days. It appears that the “dizzy” elements he has been revealing are true. In fact, Olly Alexander revealed via a tweet that his new single, titled “Dizzy“, will be released on March 1st and confirmed that it will serve as his entry for Eurovision 2024.

 

Moreover, he shared a link for fans to pre-save his upcoming single on all streaming platforms.

The team behind “Dizzy”

Olly Alexander has a powerful ally on his side for his Eurovision bid. Danny L. Harle, Dua Lipa’s producer, has put together Olly Alexander’s bid. Danny is the brains behind Dua’s latest smash hit “Houdini” and will probably serve as the executive producer on her upcoming third studio album.

Who is Olly Alexander?

The 33 year-old Olly Alexander is a singer and actor from England. He is best known for his work as the lead singer of Years & Years, one of the UK’s most successful groups and as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series “It’s a Sin”. Alexander has been multi-nominee in the Brit Awards as well as several other awards within the United Kingdom.

United Kingdom, the host of Eurovision 2023, was represented on home soil by Mae Muller and her song “I Wrote A Song“. Despite being a fan favorite, Mae did not come up to British expectations and finished second-last with 24 points.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news!

United Kingdom: A new teaser video of Olly Alexander’s song for Eurovision was released!

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An artist that has definetely made sense, months before Eurovision 2024, is Olly Alexander, who is going to represent the United Kingdom. His song, which has managed to bring the country in the second place of the betting odds, is still a secret but Olly Alexander posted a teaser video, with some hints about his song.

In the video posted by the singer and the BBC, both on Instagram and X, we can see Olly as trainee weather presenter, explaining that the United Kingdom, will be struck by “Dizzy” spells in the coming weeks:

Just before the ending of the video, four numbers appear on screen: 1, 7, 11 and 29. Like Olly ‘s previous teasers, many believe that the numbers are hints about his song.

Olly also published a story on Instagram, in which he advertised a fantastic medicine, with the title “Dizzigon”. In the story there is a link, which leads to a website to pre-save his new song, which will probably be for Eurovision.

What do you think of Olly Alexander’s teaser video? Did you find something in it?

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

Eurovision 2024: Ukraine is now the frontrunner to win!

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As February, the most crucial month of the pre-Eurovision period, unfolds, national finals are multiplying week by week. Simultaneously, an increasing number of songs that will compete in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest are being revealed. For this reason, one of Eurovisionfun’s most beloved and discussed columns returns, featuring betting analyses for Eurovision 2024.

As you prepare for an “hot” Eurovision February with the reveals of most entries ahead of May, bookmakers are already hard at work. The section for the winner of Eurovision 2024 is already available at some companies. Let’s take this opportunity to present what has been observed so far for the upcoming competition.

Ukraine Emerges as a Strong Favorite

As mentioned in the introduction, February is the month of numerous national finals. The first “Super Saturday” of the year has already caused reshuffling in the betting odds. Ukraine stands far ahead in the first position. The Eastern European country, consistently at the top of the betting boards in recent weeks, is considered the major favorite by bookmakers to win in Malmo.

The triumph of Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil at Vidbir, where they convincingly outperformed their competitors, has significantly affected the odds for Ukraine‘s victory in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. At present, Ukrainian victory returns up to 3.5 times the stake, compared to odds ranging from 5.7 to 7 just a few days ago.

With the widespread sympathy towards Ukraine due to the ongoing Russian invasion and the quality of Ukrainian entries in Eurovision, betting companies consider the fourth win for Ukraine in its twenty-year Eurovision history highly probable. The competition’s current odds have also been influenced by the relatively weak competition compared to previous years.

Top 5

The United Kingdom maintains its second position. The odds for the United Kingdom have dropped and are lower than they were ten days ago. The assignment to Olly Alexander and the expectations created by the BBC’s choice put pressure on the odds, ranging between 6 and 7. Currently, the United Kingdom appears as the most likely competitor to Ukraine based on bookmakers.

Italy retains the third position just a day before the highly anticipated Sanremo Festival, which boasts one of its strongest line-ups in its long history. The odds for Italy have slightly decreased, and the country is currently offered in odds between 8 and 10. The events in the small Ligurian town in the coming days are expected to influence Italy’s standing in the betting odds.

Iceland occupies the fourth position. Bashar Murad‘s song in Iceland’s national final did not convince bookmakers that it could secure the coveted victory in Reykjavik. Iceland has fallen to the fourth position with noticeably declining trends. The potential maiden victory for Iceland is currently being betted between 7 and 12 times the stake.

Sweden secures the fifth position. As the host country of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, Sweden is once again considered one of the major favorites. The odds for Sweden winning within its borders are between 11 and 13, showing a slight increase compared to the last analysis.

Top 10

In the sixth position is Israel, which sees its odds fluctuate but still maintains a relatively high position. The geopolitical reality and the war in Gaza keep Israel in contention, with victory odds ranging between 11 and 13.

From seventh place onward, significant deviations from the top six countries begin. Lithuania, in seventh place, has seen a considerable drop in odds, with the potential maiden victory returning up to 26 times the stake.

The same trend is observed for Norway, Ireland, and Croatia, which complete the top ten. All three are playing with odds above 20, with Norway‘s odds turning red after the Gåte‘s selection, while Ireland‘s turned green following the choice of Bambie Thug. Croatia‘s entry – most possibly – by Baby Lasagna and the artist’s popularity have brought Croatia into the top ten for the first time this season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_8cNbF8FLI

Can Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil make history in Malmo and give Ukraine its fourth victory in twenty years of Eurovision participation? Share your thoughts in the comments! Eurovisionfun will continue to provide updates and analyses as the Eurovision journey unfolds. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the world of Eurovision 2024!

 

Eurovision 2024: The Semi-Final Allocation Draw Results!

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Malmö with a very nice event hosted a few minutes ago the draw for the semi-finals of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.

The analyzes of the fans and not only, have been on fire for a few minutes now. Since the theories based on the pre-history of the countries in the competition, it is a first insight into how passable the qualification to the final is or not. In other words, it’s time to make our predictions, about who will go through to the final and who are the favorites to say goodbye to Malmö early…

The presenters and the handover ceremony

Presenters of the Eurovision 2024 semi-final draw were Pernilla Månsson Colt and Farah Abadi. It is worth mentioning that Pernilla Månsson Colt was also the presenter of the corresponding draw in 2013, eleven years ago when Malmö hosted the Eurovision Song Contest for the last time. Both of them are part of the SVT staff, being some of the most beloved faces of the Swedish state broadcaster.

During the draw, the ceremony of handing over and accepting the emblem of the contest took place. The mayor of Liverpool, Steven Rotheram, formally handed over the “keys to the event” to the mayor of Malmö, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh.

Draw Procedure

Big 5 and Sweden

With the big winner of last year’s competition, Sweden, directly in the final, along with the Big 5 (UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain), the first part of the draw determined the semi-final that the direct finalists would vote for.

Will vote in the 1st Semi-Final:

  • Sweden
  • United Kingdom
  • Germany

Will vote in the 2nd Semi-Final:

  • Spain
  • Italy
  • France

In the semi-final that the six aforementioned countries were drawn to broadcast and vote for, the video from their dress rehearsal will also be shown. This was done at Eurovision 2016 for the first time, for reasons of equal exposure of the countries directly in the final and the countries that qualify from the semi-finals. Essentially, viewers see each entry twice during the shows.

Semi-Final Allocation Draw

The allocation draw for the two semi-finals had two parts. In the first part the 31 countries participating in the semi-finals were drawn in which of the two they will compete in. Fifteen countries will compete in the first semi-final and sixteen in the second semi-final.

In the second part, each country learned whether it will appear in the first or second half of the semi-final in which it will compete. The exact order of appearance will be determined by the EBU and the show’s producers at a later date.

1st Semi-final (May 7):

1st Half

  • Ukraine
  • Cyprus
  • Poland
  • Serbia
  • Lithuania
  • Croatia
  • Ireland

2nd Half

  • Slovenia
  • Iceland
  • Finland
  • Portugal
  • Luxembourg
  • Australia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Moldova

2nd Semi-Final (May 9):

1st Half

  • Austria
  • Malta
  • Switzerland
  • Greece
  • Czechia
  • Albania
  • Denmark
  • Armenia

2nd Half

  • Israel
  • Estonia
  • Georgia
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Latvia
  • San Marino
  • Belgium

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“, retaining the motto first chosen for last year’s contest in Liverpool.

You can see the draw again through the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-2hMEq5sk

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

 

Eurovision 2024: Tonight the Allocation Draw!

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At 19:00 CET and live from Malmö, Sweden, the draw for the Eurovision 2024 semi-finals will take place tonight.

During today’s event, there will also be a handover of the event’s banner from the city of Liverpool to the city of Malmö. For this reason, both the Mayor of Liverpool, Steven Rotheram, and the Mayor of the Swedish city, Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, will be present at today’s draw.

The hosts

The hosts of tonight’s draw for the semi-finals of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest will be Pernilla Månsson Colt and Farah Abadi. It is worth mentioning that Pernilla Månsson Colt was the presenter of the equivalent draw in 2013, eleven years ago when Malmö hosted the Eurovision Song Contest for the last time.

The draw procedure

The first part of the draw will determine which semi-final will be broadcast and voted for by each of the six countries that are directly in the final on 11 May (Sweden, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom).

The second part of the draw will determine which semi-final and which half the other 31 participating countries will compete in. As in recent years, the exact order of appearance will be determined by the event producers at a later date.

The 31 countries have been divided into five pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by Eurovision’s official voting partner, Digame.

Drawing countries from different pots aims to reduce the likelihood of so-called neighbour voting and increases the suspense in the semi-finals.

Pots

Pot 1
  • 🇦🇱 Albania
  • 🇦🇹 Austria
  • 🇨🇭 Switzerland
  • 🇭🇷 Croatia
  • 🇷🇸 Serbia
  • 🇸🇮 Slovenia
Pot 2
  • 🇦🇺 Australia
  • 🇩🇰 Denmark
  • 🇪🇪 Estonia
  • 🇫🇮 Finland
  • 🇮🇸 Iceland
  • 🇳🇴 Norway
Pot 3
  • 🇦🇲 Armenia
  • 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
  • 🇬🇪 Georgia
  • 🇮🇱 Israel
  • 🇱🇻 Latvia
  • 🇱🇹 Lithuania
  • 🇺🇦 Ukraine
Pot 4
  • 🇨🇾 Cyprus
  • 🇬🇷 Greece
  • 🇮🇪 Ireland
  • 🇲🇹 Malta
  • 🇵🇹 Portugal
  • 🇸🇲 San Marino
Pot 5
  • 🇧🇪 Belgium
  • 🇨🇿 Czechia
  • 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
  • 🇳🇱 Netherlands
  • 🇲🇩 Moldova
  • 🇵🇱 Poland

https://twitter.com/Eurovision/status/1751972070479565001

So in the evening, we all tune in for the draw of the semi-finals of our favourite contest. You can watch the draw on the official Eurovision channel on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-2hMEq5sk

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

Eurovision 2024: The Semi-final allocation pots!

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The Semi-Final Allocation Draw 2024 will take place tomorrow Tuesday 30 January at 19:00 CET live from Malmo, alongside a ceremony which sees the Host City insignia pass from previous hosts Liverpool to Malmo.

https://youtu.be/Q_-2hMEq5sk

The draw will be hosted by Pernilla Månsson Colt and Farah Abadi and fans will be able to watch on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

The Allocation Draw will determine whether countries participate in the First Semi-Final (Tuesday 7 May at 21:00 CEST) or the Second Semi-Final (Thursday 9 May at 21:00 CEST). Also randomly allocated is whether a country will perform in the first or second half of the Semi-Final they’ve drawn.

Semi-Final Allocation Draw: How does it work?

Sweden as the Host Country and reigning champion respectively, along with the other 6 members of the so-called ‘Big 6’ participating countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) do not compete in the Semi-Finals, but their domestic audiences do get to vote in one of them… so before the competing countries are allocated a place in a Semi-Final, it will be randomly determined which of the Semi-Finals the Big 6 will each be allowed to vote on.

The next part of the draw will determine in which Semi-Final and in which half of the respective Semi-Final the other 31 participating countries will perform in.

Semi-Final Allocation Pots 2024

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 3
  • Albania
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
  • Croatia
  • Serbia
  • Slovenia
  • Denmark
  • Australia
  • Finland
  • Iceland
  • Norway
  • Estonia
  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Georgia
  • Israel
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Ukraine

Pot 4

Pot 5

Pot 6
  • Cyprus
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Malta
  • Portugal
  • San Marino
  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic
  • Netherlands
  • Moldova
  • Poland
  • Luxembourg
  • France
  • Italy
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • United Kingdom
  • Sweden

 

Drawing countries from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called neighbourly voting and increases suspense in the Semi-Finals. You can get a good idea of how it will all work by watching the 2022 Allocation Draw on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

The Eurovision Song Contest is due to take place on 7, 9 and 11 May 2024 in Malmo, Sweden, who won the Contest thanks to Loreen winning in 2023.

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Source: Eurovision.tv