A record 43 countries will be taking part in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest from Armenia to the Ukraine. All of the contestants are from countries who are members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
If the weight of money is an indicator then ISRAEL (15/8 with BetVictor) is already well on the way to a fourth victory in the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon this weekend. That would make it the joint sixth most successful country ever in the competition – not bad for a country that isn’t even in Europe! Australia is also prominent in the betting (a best 12/1) and you can’t get much further away from Europe than Sydney!
Israel’s last winner was Dana International in 1998 but there are very high hopes for Netta and her song ‘Toy’ this year and bookmakers have been on the retreat since the turn of the year. While it’s unfair to say that the versatile 25-year-old has been backed to the exclusion of all others, it would be a shock of seismic proportions if Israel didn’t qualify comfortably from the first semi-final and wow the audience in the final itself at the Altice Arena.
Following their maiden success last year, PORTUGAL is staging the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time this year but it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that home fans will be celebrating another strong showing from Claudia Pascoal. The 100/1 available with Betfred is quite an enticement as we’ve heard a lot worse than Claudia’s song ‘O Jardim’ and she’ll be backed on stage by the vocals of creator and producer Isaura – the hosts are one of only six countries guaranteed a final spot.
France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom are the others but none of that quintet currently feature among the top half-dozen in the betting. French duo Madame Monsieur have been the most popular with punters but are still available at 20/1 with Betfred and their entry ‘Mercy’ only reached number three in the French charts. It does sound a little dated but could give FRANCE their best result for many years.
Eurovision is the musical version of Marmite – you either love it of you hate it! Voting is often political or geographical and the best song doesn’t always get the votes it deserves. That said, Portugal’s entry last year was head and shoulders above the majority and there have been other deserving winners in recent years, including Norway in 2009 and Sweden in 2015.
IRELAND have not won Eurovision since 1996 but are still the country with most victories. Ryan O’Shaughnessy’s ‘Together’ is a hark back to the days of Johnny Logan but is not expected to figure among the front-runners at 300/1 with Sportingbet. If the Irish entry has a retro theme, similar accusations can be levelled against the UK entry ‘Storm’.
Is SuRie trying to resurrect the ghost of Katrina and The Waves? It was a clear-cut winner of the UK heat but I find it repetitive and boring and I suspect many of the European juries will think the same. It’s available at a general 125/1 and, to be honest, should be at least double those odds to win Eurovision 2018.
RUSSIA is being shunned by most of Europe at present but is back in the Eurovision fold after they were refused permission to compete in Ukraine last year. However, it is unlikely that disabled artiste Julie Samoylova will elicit much sympathy and ‘ I Won’t Break’ is available at 150/1. If there is a dark horse in this year’s competition it could be AUSTRIA as Cesar Sampson has a solid Eurovision pedigree and ‘Nobody But You’ is the product of a team of writers who have worked with Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend so they know how to put a son together. Austria can be backed at a general 66/1 while manufactured band Equinox have been backed in recent days to give BULGARIA their first-ever win (now a best 7/1).
Eurovision Song Contest 2018 Current Best Odds
Israel 15/8, Bulgaria 7/1, Czech Republic 8/1, Australia 12/1, Estonia 13/1, France 20/1, Norway and Sweden 25/1, Belgium 33/1, Greece and Spain 40/1, Italy and Finland 50/1, Austria and Netherlands 66/1, Belarus 80/1, Cyprus, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Lithuania, Armenia and Ukraine 100/1, Russia, Moldova, Latvia, Azerbaijan and United Kingdom 150/1, Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia, Georgia and Malta 250/1, 300/1 and Upwards Others (Odds correct at 10.30am on April 23)
