🇦🇿 Road to Malmö: Azerbaijan

It is Tuesday, April 21, 2026, which means it is time for another weekly Eurovision update! Pre-party season wrapped up in style this week, with events in Bucharest and London. In Vienna, the stage at the Wiener Stadthalle is nearly ready. The bookmakers still have Finland firmly in the lead. And American fans finally have a free way to watch Eurovision. Here are this week’s top stories. Pre-Party Season 🇷🇴 Eurovision Pre-Party Bucharest 2026 Pre-party season continued in Romania this past weekend. The Eurovision Pre-Party Bucharest 2026 took place on Saturday at the Arenele Romane in Bucharest. Four acts performed their entries for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest: Bulgaria’s DARA, Greece’s Akylas, Malta’s Aidan, and Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu. The event was organised by eMagic in collaboration with TVR, AIMR and OGAE Romania.  🇬🇧 London Eurovision Party 2026 One of the biggest pre-parties of the season took place on Sunday night. The London Eurovision Party 2026 was held at the Outernet in London. Over twenty acts performed their Eurovision entries. Here’s a recap: Eurovision 2026 🇦🇹 Stage Construction Almost Complete in Vienna Things are coming together fast at the Wiener Stadthalle. ORF has released new images showing that stage construction for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest is nearly finished. The main screen and LED panels are in place, with finishing touches being completed ahead of stand-in rehearsals before delegations arrive in Vienna next week. The scale of the production is impressive. Forty commentator booths, 2,135 lighting fixtures with 8,500 individually controllable LEDs, and a full green room have been installed. The production will use 28 cameras in total. That’s including two camera cranes, three aerial camera systems, and four steady cams. For the first time at Eurovision, a system will be used to give the entire broadcast a cinematic look.  📷 ORF/Christian Öser source: ORF 🇦🇹 Emily Busvine to Host the Green Room ORF has confirmed the face of the Eurovision green room. Emily Busvine will serve as the green room host for the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. She is the presenter of the FM4 Morning Show. Busvine was born in Vienna in 1996 and studied at the University of Cambridge before joining Radio FM4 in 2020. While Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski host from the main stage, Busvine will interview the competing acts live in the green room, in front of an estimated 180 million viewers.  This year, the green room will reflect Viennese coffee house culture, giving international audiences a taste of one of Austria’s most beloved traditions. source: orf 🇫🇮 Current Odds: Finland Still on Top The bookmakers have not changed their minds. Finland’s Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen with “Liekinheitin” remain the clear favourite to win Eurovision 2026, with a winning probability of around 31%. France’s Monroe with “Regarde !” sits in second place at approximately 11%, followed by Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund at around 10%. Australia’s Delta Goodrem and Greece’s Akylas round out the top five.  Further down, Romania, Ukraine, and Italy are all placed between 3% and 4% winning probability. The contest takes place on May 12, 14, and 16 in Vienna. source: eurovisionworld Interviews: Satoshi (Moldova) and Alis (Albania) Two of this week’s most talked-about interviews come from our own Kal, who sat down with Satoshi from Moldova and Alis from Albania at the pre-party circuit. 🇲🇩 Satoshi is one of the most magnetic performers in this year’s lineup. His entry “Viva, Moldova!” bursts with energy, and in his interview he explains that the song is rooted in a personal process of understanding his own identity. He also describes the pre-party experience as a genuinely positive one, saying that the enthusiasm from audiences makes it easy to perform. Moldova has not competed since 2024, making this a comeback year. Satoshi is exactly the kind of artist who makes a splash. Wanna know the favourite band of Satoshi? And did Aliona Moon have any advice for him? If you have not watched this interview yet, do yourself a favour and press play. 🇦🇱 Albania’s Alis is equally compelling. His Eurovision entry “Nân” is a deeply personal ode to the maternal figure, rooted in Albanian culture and tradition. In his interview, Alis spoke about his hometown of Shkodër and the writing process behind “Nân”, describing the mother figure as someone who deserves recognition across the Balkans. What was his original plan for Eurovision? And why was he scared of stage before Eurovision? nd Kal even has an advice for him. Alis takes Eurovision serious, and this interview is not to be missed.   Short News 🎬 Eurovision 2026: A Little Bit More The official Eurovision YouTube channel is steadily filling up with content ahead of the contest. The 2026 edition of “A Little Bit More” is well underway, with participants delivering alternative versions of their own entries and covers of Eurovision classics. Albania’s Alis has shared a piano version of “Nân”, Moldova’s Satoshi has given “Viva, Moldova!” an even harder-hitting reworking, San Marino’s Senhit delivered a stripped-back version of “Superstar”, and Australia’s Delta Goodrem offered a high-energy mix of “Eclipse”. The full playlist is available on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel. 🇺🇸 USA Can Now Watch Eurovision for Free American Eurovision fans have a new option this May. The EBU has confirmed that all three live shows of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be available to watch for free in the United States via YouTube, alongside the existing Peacock stream. In some countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Greece, local broadcasters retain exclusive rights and the YouTube stream will not be available. This is a major step in expanding Eurovision’s reach beyond Europe, and it means millions of new viewers could be tuning in for the first time this May. source: Hollywoodreporter.com