Eurovision 2022: What to Expect?

The biggest non-sporting event in the world is back. May should be referred to as a Eurovision month in Europe and further because each year around 200 million people have their eyes glued to the TV to watch this event. Around 40 countries from Europe and outside the European border compete every year with original songs to win the trophy and host the show next year. Last year in 2021 it was Maneskin from Italy who won with their song Zitti e buoni, so now we’re headed to Turin, Italy to celebrate music and have fun.

Eurovision 2022 Odds

Every year people try to predict the favorites beforehand. Certainly, based on the views and the kind of engagement each song gets you can clearly see the patterns. In 2019, Duncan Laurence’s Arcade was the favorite from the moment it was published in March, and to the surprise of no one it went on to win.

On this 66^th edition of Eurovision, there are quite a few countries that stand a real chance to win. One of them is Ukraine. Stefania is the title of the song by Kalush Orchestra. It is a rhythmic song that so far has topped most people’s lists of favorites for a good reason.

Somewhat shockingly, Italy is once again one of the favorites to win. Typically, countries that have won the previous year and are currently hosting do not make a big effort to win again due to the huge cost of hosting Eurovision, However, Italy has somewhat broken that barrier. The return 2^nd place in 2019 Mahmood has teamed up with Blanco for the song Brividi. It’s an emotionally powerful song with deep meaning and with both singers being great performers this song could easily win for Italy again.

Spain’s Chanel brings spice with the song SloMo. Considering how well Eleni [the Eurovision 2018 Cyprus entry] did with Fuego in 2018, this also could at the very least end up as a top-five contender. This is a total banger for the ages.

Sweden is back with another hit. It feels like every year Sweden is a shoo-in for one of the top songs in the end. This year however they seem to have delivered even more than usual. Cornelia Jakob’s Hold Me Closer is a fan favorite and once you listen to it you will understand why.

Last but not least, the Netherlands is back in top form as well. S10’s De Diepte is a great Dutch ballad. It’s already a hit in its country and you can expect to hear it everywhere else soon too.

Naturally, the list of contenders doesn’t fully end here. There are countries that stand long-distance chances such as Albania with a powerful voice, Greece with an emotional song, Norway with a cheesy yet super catchy hit, and Australia with a thoughtful song about being different.

When Is Eurovision 2022?

The first semi-final of Eurovision 2022 is on May 10, the second semi is on May 12, and the grand final is on the 14^th. The starting time is 9 PM Central European Summer Time. If you’re in the US you can watch the show through the Peacock streaming app, and in Europe pretty much every country has one of their major networks playing the show live. Additionally, the Eurovision YouTube official channel usually livestreams the entire show as well.

Turin will be the host of one of the biggest events of the year. An event that will bring people together whether in person in Italy or in front of their screens at home. Make sure you don’t miss this historic event that started in 1956 and is still going on strong even now in 2022.

Photo: rarrarorro/Shutterstock

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