Eurovision 2026: Victory for the UK in Vienna? It looks very unlikely

Nearly 20 years since a Eurovision win for the UK

The UK has not won the Eurovision Song Contest since 1997 when Katrina and the Waves brought the prize back to Blighty.

The UK is one of the nations that qualify automatically for the final - due to the amount of money it invests in the contest - so fans still tune in on the big Saturday night in hope that this will be their year.

If we take the wide historical view then the UK are a leading Eurovision nation, one of four (along with France, Luxembourg and Netherlands) to have won five times (in 1967, 1969, 1976, 1981 as well as '97).

Only Sweden and Ireland have won more with seven wins.

This year is the 70^th Eurovision and the UK have taken part in 67. The UK then is passionate about Eurovision and vital to its existence.

UK holds record for Eurovision near misses

Four years ago, the UK's Eurovision drought nearly ended, when Sam Ryder's "Spaceman" came second, losing out to Ukraine's entry.

Ukraine's victory in 2022 was widely interpreted as a display of solidarity from other nations, month after Russia first invaded the east European country. So Vladmir Putin is arguably responsible for the UK being denied a Eurovision winner.

It wasn't the first time the UK has narrowly missed out on victory. The country has finished second 16 times - a record.

France have finished second six times and are second on the list for runners-up spots.

When it comes to coming second the UK are unbeatable.

'Eins, Zwei, Drei' - Look Mum No Chance?

The last three Eurovision finals have been forgettable affairs for the UK - at least, you'd be better off forgetting about them if you can.

The UK came 25th in 2023, 18th in 2024 and last year was 19th out of 26 finalists.

This year it falls to Look Mum No Computer, a solo artist, songwriter and YouTuber, to carry the hopes of UK Eurovision fans to the final.

The chorus of the song and its title - "Eins, Zwei, Drei" - is in German and the artist has descrbied the track as "completely wacky".

It's probably the UK's most Eurovision-sounding entry and is aimed squarely at the judges and fans across the continent.

The UK is home to some of the world's best young popstars but, when it comes to Eurovision, you achieve little by overestimating tastes abroad, so our leading artists are not who we send into this battle.

For all that "Eins, Zwei, Drei" sounds like a shake up for the UK's Eurovision entry, it could be a depressingly familiar story in Vienna - at least if the Betfair odds are anything to go by, and they often are.

Odds on a UK Eurovision win are massive

On the Betfair Sportsbook, the UK is 80/181.00 to claim victory in Vienna.

Things are even worse on the Betfair Exchange outright winner market which makes the UK 400.00399/1.

That price indicates they will be nowhere near the top of the list and are more likely to be in danger of finishing last.

The Exchange has a wide range of markets and 7.06/1 for the UK to finish in the top 15 will hold some appeal for those who believe Look Mum No Computer can out-perform his odds.

We'll wait to see what the judges, and public voters, make of it on 16 May, but the Betfair odds indicate it would be a surprise if the UK were to be in contention, let alone win in Vienna.

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