Oh, Vienna. The buildup to Eurovision 2026 in Austria has been beset by controversy. Five nations – including Spain, the Netherlands and seven-time winners Ireland – have boycotted the event in protest at Israel’s participation. The first semi-final on Tuesday saw chants of “free Palestine” echoing around the Wiener Stadthalle venue. The song contest’s slogan, “United by music”, feels increasingly ironic. Hardly ideal preparation for the annual pop party’s 70th anniversary.

Still, the cheesy Euro-pop show must go on and Saturday night’s grand final is primed to be as compelling as ever. In fact, surprises have already been sprung. Rather randomly, Boy George co-wrote San Marino’s entry and provided guest vocals, but failed to make it through Tuesday’s semi-final. Do you really want to hurt me? For voting viewers, it seemed the answer was yes. Nul points for you, former Culture Club frontman.

An audience of 150 million is expected to tune in this weekend for ye olde blend of geopolitical point-scoring and surreal spectacle. We’ve picked 11 bangers to watch out for. Good evening, Europe – and good morning, Australia. From silver spray-painted drag artists to rappers on scooters, here are our favourite songs:

Norway – Ya Ya Ya by Jonas Lovv

The title of the Norwegian entry is textbook Eurovision and carries through to the lyrics, approximately half of which are “ya ya ya”. Yet this is no novelty pop confection. Five years after Måneskin’s triumph, moustachioed, tattooed hipster Jonas Lovv is trying the stomp-rock approach with a scuzzy gem full of driving riffs and singalong refrains. It’s been compared to 00s indie anthems like The Hives’ Hate to Say I Told You So. Ya ya and, if you will, ya.

Finland – Liekinheitin by Linda Lampenius & Pete Parkkonen

Bookies’ favourite at the time of writing is angsty techno-ballad Liekinheitin, which translates as “flamethrower”. Expect overly literal pyrotechnics and peroxide-blond classical violinist Lampenius wearing a Bacofoil dress and playing her 19th-century Gagliano violin so ferociously that strings snap and horsehairs fly. It’s only the second time a live instrument has been allowed on stage since 1998, trivia fans. They’re bidding to become only the second Finnish winners after fancy-dressed metallers Lordi 20 years ago. Fun fact: I once met Lordi in full garb. Those costumes stank.

Armenia – Paloma Rumba by Simón

“Paloma rumba, let’s go / Delete my number, burn the phone!” The UK’s Look Mum No Computer isn’t the only entrant lamenting the nine-to-five grind. Armenia is complaining about office culture, too. This gnarly rock track’s lyrics include the relatable lines: “This meeting could have been an email / Free coffee won’t keep me here.” The staging sees Simón flinging around reams of paper and backflipping towards the exit door. Take that, The Man.

France – Regarde ! by Monroe

Sung by 17-year-old prodigy Monroe, this year’s youngest act, Regarde ! is a poperatic epic reminiscent of current critical darling Rosalía. The past two Eurovision winners – Switzerland’s Nemo and Austria’s JJ – both featured opera-tinged vocals. Can the dreadlocked warbler make it a hat-trick? Her staging nods to “Les Misérables and late 19th-century romantic painting”. So maybe.

Australia – Eclipse by Delta Goodrem

If the name rings a bell, it’s not because Delta Goodrem sounds like a city bank or Star Wars character. She’s an established chart-topper who has sold more than 8m albums, survived cancer and was once engaged to Westlife’s Brian McFadden. Australia has duly wheeled her out in its quest for a first ever win, which would confuse geographers everywhere. Goodrem admits being inspired by Céline Dion for this big-lunged, lighters-aloft ballad about a passion so strong it blocks out the sun. Scientifically implausible but sort of romantic, we suppose. Let’s check with Brian Cox (not that one).

Greece – Ferto by Akylas

The Greek first made a splash in his home country five years ago when his ukulele-accompanied cover versions went viral on TikTok. Bouncy dance anthem Ferto (meaning “bring it”) mixes traditional instrumentation with Super Mario bleeps and house beats. The lyrics initially seem fame-hungry (“I want glory, eternity and money”) before morphing into a touching tribute to his mother, who brought him up single-handedly during Greece’s financial crisis. “I’ll make sure we never lack again,” vows Akylas. Hyperactive staging involves tiger-print costumes, an old lady knitting, statues coming to life, video game graphics, a slippery pole (not a euphemism) and Akylas riding a scooter down the runway. It’s like a supersize primary school talent show.

Cyprus – Jalla by Antigoni

The most-viewed of this year’s entries on YouTube. A sign of … something maybe? North London-born Antigoni once appeared in Love Island and is the daughter of TV cook Tonia Buxton (host of such series as My Greek Kitchen and My Cypriot Kitchen). Her Shakira-adjacent anthem’s title is Cypriot for “more” but the summery, sensual video has gone down poorly with “concerned” public figures back home, who called it “unsophisticated” and “insulting to Cypriot history”. Oops.

Lithuania – Sólo Quiero Más by Lion Ceccah

This melodramatic man-v-machine ballad warns of the dangers of AI, urging us to break ChatGP-free. Sung in six languages, the lyrics exhort listeners to reject the algorithm, get back to reality and reclaim our humanity. To hammer home the point, Lithuanian drag artist Lion paints himself head-to-toe in silver, like a robot from 1984. Let’s hope he’s not risking death from pore asphyxiation, like Bond girl Shirley Eaton in Goldfinger. Nobody wants that.

Germany – Fire by Sarah Engels

The Euro-stats augur well for the German entry. For a start, she’s a solo female performing a pop song with love-themed lyrics in English – which, according to seven decades of data, is the winning formula. Engels is also the most popular act on Instagram and TikTok with a total of 2.5m followers. Cologne-born Engels’ song is an infectious, Dua Lipa-like dance-pop anthem, while she’s backed by Pussycat Dolls-alike dancers. We believe “one for the dads” is the phrase.

Bulgaria – Bangaranga by Dara

This one comes with promising pop pedigree. Having found fame as an X Factor finalist, Dara is a proven star with a track record of Top 10 hits. She’s also a two-time winning coach of The Voice of Bulgaria. Her sassy club tune mixes Alanis Morissette-esque lyrics (“I’m an angel, I’m a demon, I’m a psycho for no reason”) with a teeth-rattling drumbeat and gratuitous dance breakdowns. Bangaranga indeed. It’s douze points from us.

Austria – Tanzschein by Cosmó

Can the host nation make it back-to-back wins? A former finalist on The Voice Kids, Cosmó is a 19-year-old with a frou-frou jacket and a Bowie-inspired blue star painted on his face. His quirky synth-pop number Tanzschein translates as “dance licence”, which seems an unnecessary bit of EU paperwork. Over a low-slung bassline, Cosmó exhorts clubbers to stop posing, let themselves go and unleash their inner animal. Hence he’ll be accompanied on stage by gorillas and lions. Sadly not real ones, which would be a health and safety nightmare. Imagine the dung.