We’ve reached that time of year once again, where the rumoured artists for Melodifestivalen 2026 start to pop up across the press in Sweden.
Here’s more information on the artists who are rumoured for Melfest 2026!
Note: These names are not officially confirmed, and are simply “revealed” by Aftonbladet & Expressen’s sources. The lineup for Melfest 2026 will be officially announced by SVT in due course. As of October 18th, Korslagda, previously reported by Expressen, has been removed and are now simply said to have submitted a song to SVT.
Felicia Eriksson
Remember Fröken Snusk from Melodifestivalen 2024? Well, after some drama regarding the masked original singer being replaced with another this April, we now know the name of the original woman behind the star – and she’s said to be setting her sites on the 2026 contest according to Expressen. Her name is Felicia Eriksson, who released her debut single ‘Black Widow’ under the name FELICIA on September 19th 2025. A step away from the electronic sound Fröken Snusk delivered, Felicia has instead leant more into a dance pop vibe, ditching the pink balaclava for a black, often lace, face mask instead.
Junior Lerin
Manoel Marques Lerin, known as Junior Lerin, is a photographer and TV personality who has recently taken part in the Swedish version of Let’s Dance earlier this year. Expressen reports that he now could be heading for the stage at Melfest 2026, leading to the launch of his music career. Aftonbladet sources also report Junior’s participation next year as being a “happy party song” written by Fredrik Andersson, who was behind former Melfest entries ‘Mirakel’, ‘If I Were Sorry’ and ‘I Won’t Shake (La La Gunilla)’.
Greczula
The first name on the list that is set to make their return after competing in the 2025 contest is Greczula. He came 3rd in this years completion with ‘Believe Me’, and following on from a successful tour and recently released second album Expressen reports that we are likely to see the singer back on the Melodifestivalen stage once again in 2026.
Medina
Medina will be hoping to claim the one podium place they’re missing if they’re to compete in Melodifestivalen 2026, and according to Expressen it’s likely that we’ll be seeing Ali & Sami there. In 2022 they reunited musically, coming into Melfest for their debut with ‘In I Dimman’, which took them to 3rd place in the final. In 2024 they returned with ‘Que Sera’, going one better and coming 2nd – behind Marcus & Martinus. Sweden embraced a Swedish language song in 2025 (‘Bara Bada Bastu’), and with Medina’s last two attempts being soaring Swedish pop bangers, 2026 could potentially be their year for the Melodifestivalen trophy.
Meira Omar
Melodifestivalen 2025’s Meira Omar came through some tough competition to make the final on her first year in the contest, and it looks like she’ll be aiming for even better as Aftonbladet reports that she’s gearing up to return next year. Her song ‘Hush Hush’ became a firm fan favourite in 2025, and just missed out on going directly to the final – instead sailing through alongside Dolly Style in the Finalkvalet and coming 10th overall in the final. With all the momentum from last year’s contest still behind her, Meira could be one to watch if we see her in the 2026 lineup.
Saga Ludvigsson
Moving on to our next expected returnee from 2025, Saga Ludvigsson could be back in the contest in 2026. She shocked viewers by winning Heat 5 with her country-pop track ‘Hate You So Much’ – the only woman to win a heat across the 2025 contest – and was a hit with Melfest’s youngest voting age groups. Despite placing 12th in the final, Saga made her mark on the contest last year – and with that experience now behind her, Aftonbladet reports that she’ll be entering again in 2026.
Smash Into Pieces
Look who’s back! Smash Into Pieces are added to Aftonbladet’s potential artist list for the third time, and if their last attempts are anything to go by their likely participation in Melodifestivalen 2026 is not something to gloss over. We first saw the Swedish Rock quartet in 2023 with ‘Six Feet Under’ – which eventually placed 3rd. A year later they came back to the contest with ‘Heroes Are Calling’, again placing 3rd. We haven’t seen Sweden select a rock band to win Melodifestivalen in a very long time, and depending on Eurovision’s current status for the 70th anniversary, choosing rock could be just what the country needs post-KAJ to continue their journey away from polished pop and into newer territories – proving them as more than a powerhouse in one genre.
Eva Jumatate
17 Year-Old Eva Jumatate is ready to debut in Melodifestivalen 2026 according to sources at Aftonbladet. She made a name for herself aged just 11 placing 2nd in Talang in 2019, going on to then star on both stage and screen. Despite her young age, Eva has carved out an impressive position for herself as a rising star in Sweden, and is now said to be looking to further her music career in the upcoming Melfest.
Robin Bengtsson
Robin Bengtsson is a familiar face to Melodifestivalen & Eurovision fans – so it’s no surprise that he appears in Expressen’s list of potential entrants to Melodifestivalen 2026. It marks a decade since we first saw him in the contest back in 2016 with ‘Constellation Prize’, which came 6th. A year later, Robin returned with ‘I Can’t Go On’, winning the contest and taking Sweden to 5th place at the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv. It wasn’t long before he came back again, ‘Take A Chance’ serving as his Melodifestivalen 2020 entry (8th place), with us last seeing him with ‘Innocent Love’ in 2023 (11th Place). Robin is one of Melodifestivalen’s most successful participants, putting him alongside the likes of Eric Saade, Lisa Ajax and John Lundvik when it comes to directly qualifying for the final as a lead artist (4 times). Despite it being a few years since we’ve see him on the stage, he still took part in 2025 as a backing singer for Eric Segerstedt’s ‘Show Me What Love Is’, and now is said to be coming back for the fifth time in 2026.
Arwin
Another name from the class of 2025 looking to return next edition is Arwin. Aftonbladet are reporting that the young singer, who’s debut entry ‘This Dream Of Mine’ reached the Finalkvalet round in Melodifestivalen 2025, is likely to be in the lineup for the 2026 contest.
Emilia Pantic
Expressen have added another new name to their 2026 Melodifestivalen list – 25 year old pop singer & writer Emilia Pantic. Emilia, from Gothenburg, makes music in Swedish – and now she’s said to be heading to next year’s contest.
Sanna Nielsen
Melfest veteran and former host, Sanna Nielsen, is reportedly making her 8th appearance in the contest in 2026 according to Expressen. We first saw her back in 2001 with ‘I Går, I Dag’, placing 3rd. She returned in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 – where ‘Empty Room’ came 2nd – 2011 and finally, and most successfully, in 2014, where she finally won the contest with ‘Undo’. Sanna represented Sweden in Eurovision with the song, which came 3rd overall in Copenhagen. Post-Eurovision, Sanna continued her music and presenting career, and also took part in musical theatre productions in Sweden. Now, 12 years on from her last appearance at Melfest, she’s said to be making what is, for some, a long-awaited return.
Felix Manu
A relatively new artist on the scene, Expressen reports that rapper and singer Felix Manu will be getting the chance to perform at Melodifestivalen 2026. There’s not a lot of information currently about him out there – so if we are to see him in the contest we look forward to finding out more about him & his music.
Jacqline
Cupid came around with the hottest news – and that news is that Jacqline could be returning to Melfest in 2026! One of the big fan favourites in 2024, her track ‘Effortless’ sailed through to the final – winning its heat and placing 9th that year in Stockholm. Now, with a few more songs under her belt, Aftonbladet has Jacqline on their list for Melodifestivalen next year.
Patrik Jean
Aftonbladet also report that Patrik Jean, who last took to the Melfest stage in 2021 with ‘Tears Run Dry’, will be back for 2026 as the lead artist of a new entry. Whilst Patrik didn’t make the final in 2021, he has won the contest before as a writer with ‘Move’ by The Mamas, and has continued to contribute to the show – behind entries such as ‘All My Life (Where Have You Been)’ (Wiktoria, 2023), ‘Light’ (Annika Wickihalder, 2024), ‘Yihaa’ (Dolly Style, 2025) and ‘Life Again’ (Annika Wickihalder, 2025).
A*Teens
A*Teens reunited in 2024, and Aftonbladet now reports the group will make their debut in Melodifestivalen should they find the right song to compete with. Initially formed in 1998 as an ABBA cover band, the group found most of their fame in the early 2000s with songs “Upside Down”, “Floorfiller” and “Heartbreak Lullaby”. Despite 2026 potentially being their first Melfest as a group, members Marie & Sara have taken part before – Marie in 2009 and 2012, and Sara in 2011.
Cimberly
Idol 2023 winner Cimberly has been added to Aftonbladet’s list for Melodifestivalen 2026. Their sources say she’d submitted a song last year, but missed out on being part of the lineup – but now that’s set to change, as we expect to see her in the next edition. She’s released 2 original songs so far – the most recent being the pop infused track “Bye Bye Bye” in 2024.
Erika Jonsson
We’ve been seeing a lot of country music come through into Melfest in the last few years, so it’s not a surprise that Erika Jonsson is reported to be part of the 2026 lineup, as per Aftonbladet. Her biggest hit, ‘Sången Om Värmland’, released in 2014, currently has over 10m streams on Spotify. In May she released her most recent album ‘Värmländskt Twang’.
Vilhelm Buchaus
Another one of the 2025 artists set to return is Vilhelm Buchaus. Aftonbladet report that he’s set to return in 2026 – after just missing out on qualifying earlier this year with ‘I’m Yours’. Post Melodifestivalen 2025, Vilhelm released his debut album ‘Shade Of Blue’ and performed during the Rix FM Festival throughout Summer.
AleXa
American K-Pop star AleXa is rumoured to be heading to the Melodifestivalen stage in 2026, according to Aftonbladet. Currently living in South Korea but originally born in Oklahoma, AleXa may be known to some dedicated Eurovision fans as the winner of the to date only edition of the American Song Contest, where she represented her home state with ‘Wonderland’. Now, she’s reported to be continuing her journey in the world of music contests by heading to Melfest in 2026.
