Sweden Goes Full Retro-Reborn: Melodifestivalen 2026 Drops a Line-up Nobody Saw Coming

Sweden doesn’t do things halfway, but Melodifestivalen 2026 feels like a deliberate attempt to crash the internet. At the official reveal, SVT fired announcement with Scandinavian precision, as usual.
The headline? A-Teens are officially back, releasing new music for the first time in twenty years. Half of Europe is already hyperventilating.

But that’s only the beginning.

Heat 1 – Linköping (31 January): A blast of debuts and a seismic comeback

Sweden opens strong:

• Indra – “Beautiful Lie”
• Noll2 – “Berusade ord”
• Junior Lerin – “Copocabana” (yes, THAT Junior Lerin)
• Greczula – “Half of me”
• A-Teens – “Iconic” (the comeback of all comebacks)
• Jacqline – “Woman”

This is the kind of line-up that leaves fandoms tweeting in Esperanto.

Heat 2 – Göteborg (7 February): Comebacks, glitter and firefighters

Chaos level: high.

• Klara Almström – “Där hela världen väntar”
• Arwin – “Glitter”
• Robin Bengtsson – “Honey Honey” (his fifth attempt, send help)
• Felicia – “My system”
• Leila Adèle – “Oxygen”
• Brandsta City Släckers – “Rakt in i elden” (legendary firefighter energy returns)

This show will need extra fire extinguishers, ironically.

Heat 3 – Kristianstad (14 February): Valentine’s Day, Swedish edition

Translation: chaos with LEDs.

• Saga Ludvigsson – “Ain’t today”
• Patrik Jean – “Dusk til dawn”
• Emilia Pantic – “Ingenting”
• Korslagda – “King of rock’n’roll”
• Eva Jumatate – “Selfish”
• Medina – “Viva Amore”

Medina back in the game? Sweden is feeding the fandom today.

Heat 4 – Malmö (21 February): A global, polished, unpredictable mix

• Meira Omar – “Dooset daram”
• Cimberly – “Eternity” (Idol 2023 winner)
• Erika Jonsson – “Från landet”
• Felix Manu – “Hatar att jag älskar dig”
• Smash Into Pieces – “Hollow”
• Timo Räisänen – “Ingenting är efter oss”

Tell me this isn’t stacked. Lie to me.

Heat 5 – Sundsvall (28 February): Camp, chaos and big names

• Lilla Al-Fadji – “Delulu”
• Vilhelm Buchaus – “Hearts don’t lie”
• Juliett – “Långt från alla andra”
• Alexa – “Tang tide” (yes, the American Song Contest winner)
• Sanna Nielsen – “Waste your love”
• Bladë – “Who you are”

Sanna Nielsen returning is basically a Swedish national holiday.

Grand Final – Stockholm (7 March)

The qualifiers from the five heats will battle for the golden ticket to Vienna 2026.
If the goal was to dominate the pre-Eurovision press cycle, congratulations Sweden, mission accomplished.

Sweden wants the spotlight back

Melodifestivalen 2026 isn’t a line-up — it’s a flex.
A-Teens resurrected, iconic acts resurfacing after two decades, and a casting strategy that screams “if it goes viral, it goes in”.

Source: SVT

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If this is how Sweden starts the Eurovision season… Europe is not ready