Gina Dirawi returns as Melodifestivalen host as Hampus Nessvold joins for 2026

Melodifestivalen 2026 already has its hosts, and it’s a duo that mixes experience with controlled chaos.

Swedish broadcaster SVT has confirmed that Gina Dirawi and Hampus Nessvold will front next year’s edition of Melodifestivalen.

For Gina Dirawi, it will be her fourth time hosting Sweden’s biggest music show. For Hampus Nessvold, it’s a first , and he seems very aware of that.

A familiar face returns

Dirawi is no stranger to the Melodifestivalen stage. A defining figure of the contest in the 2010s, she says returning feels deeply personal.

“It’s been ten years since I last met the audience, and I’ve missed it,” she said in a press statement. For her, Melodifestivalen is more than just a TV format — it’s the place where she first felt at home as a performer. Coming back for a fourth time, and doing so alongside Nessvold, is something she describes as genuinely exciting.

In other words: this is not a nostalgia booking. It’s a deliberate return.

A new energy for Mello

Hampus Nessvold, meanwhile, brings a very different tone. The actor and comedian has never hosted Melodifestivalen before, but he knows exactly what kind of role he wants to play.

He jokingly describes the duo dynamic as Gina being “the quality label” and himself “the loose cannon”. If it goes wrong, he says, he’ll be the first to give himself bad reviews in the tabloids.

Self-awareness: already ticked.

Nessvold also calls Melodifestivalen “our last campfire TV”, a shared national moment where everyone still gathers around the same show. It’s a surprisingly sincere take — and not a bad mission statement for 2026.

Melodifestivalen 2026: dates and cities

Melodifestivalen 2026 kicks off on 31 January in Linköping, before moving on to:

• Gothenburg (7 February)
• Kristianstad (14 February)
• Malmö (21 February)
• Sundsvall (28 February)

The grand final will take place in Stockholm on 7 March.

A duo that makes sense

Dirawi and Nessvold have never worked together before, but that might be exactly the point. One brings Melodifestivalen DNA and a proven connection with the audience. The other brings unpredictability, humour and a slightly dangerous edge.

For a show that thrives on spectacle, emotion and very live television, that sounds like a pretty solid combination.

Melodifestivalen 2026 hasn’t even started yet — and already, the hosting dynamic feels like part of the show.

Source: SVT