Eurovision

Finland’s Käärijä the runaway favourite in the Eurovision Audience Poll as Gustaph hits the podium

A grand total of 26 acts will be competing to win the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool tonight. The all important jury rehearsal took place on Friday night and, like on Monday and Wednesday, the team of the Eurovision Audience Poll was present outside the arena to ask the general public attending the show the all important question: Who was your favourite? The answer was a clear victory for Finland’s Käärijä.

In this year’s final Eurovision Audience Poll, run by a collective of four fan media platforms (ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and BetEurovision), Käärijä took another landslide victory after already doing so for the first semifinal on Monday. In the M&S Bank Arena, the audience once again lost it for Finland’s Cha Cha Cha. It brought him victory with 29.2%. Runaway favourite for victory tonight Sweden finished in second place. Loreen gathered 11.5% of the votes.

Completing the podium was the most surprising frontrunner of the week: Gustaph from Belgium. His Because Of You took a bronze medal home from the Audience Poll with 7.9% of the vote, just ahead of Norway (7.0%) and Austria (6.6%).

The remainder of the top ten consisted of Australia (5.3%) and three automatic qualifiers, with France (5.2%), United Kingdom (4.1%) and Spain (2.8%). Fellow Big Five country Germany collected an eleventh place with 2.1% – a result the German delegation would be delighted with for Lord of the Lost and Blood & Glitter. Italy (#13 with 1.6%) and Ukraine (#16 with 1.5%) were the remaining automatic qualifiers.

Surprisingly, the bottom three of last night’s scoreboard started with Armenia. Brunette scored a mere 0.6% of the vote. That was, however, still more than Portugal (0.4%) and Albania (also 0.4%).

In total, 3704 votes were cast outside the M&S Bank Arena yesterday. For the first semifinal, Finland also emerged victorious. In the second semi, that honour went to yesterday’s fifth placers from Austria. For Teya & Salena, that is not a bad result, considering they had to open the show in Liverpool.

Analysing the results

Compared to previous expectations from bookmakers, fans and the ESCXTRA.com Press Poll, there are some surprising conclusions. Comparing the two polls tells us that the battle between Finland and Sweden seems to be on. Many fans and pundits are predicting Finland to take the televoting, with Sweden potentially outscoring them on a jury vote. If we look at the Audience Poll as a public vote, those signs do indeed look good for Käärijä.

Momentum has definitely been on the side of Belgium these past days. Attendees of the shows have said Gustaph really gets the audience going during his performance – something which might explain his phenomenal result in the Audience Poll.

There’s a big difference between the Press Poll and the Audience Poll when we look at Armenia. Brunette scored a solid sixth place with the accredited press in Liverpool, but had to settle for 24th in the Audience Poll. It’s looking the other way around for both Norway and the United Kingdom: Alessandra came fourth with the Audience Poll, but nineteenth with the Press Poll. For Mae Muller, it’s eighth and twentieth.

The Eurovision Audience Poll thanks you!

The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place tonight at 20:00 BST. Twenty-six acts will battle for Eurovision glory. Make sure you tune in to find out who will take the trophy home and to see where we’ll be travelling for Eurovision next year!

On behalf of the four partaking fan media platforms ESCXTRA.com, ESC Insight, The Euro Trip Podcast and Bet Eurovision, we would like to thank you all for your interest and engagement with these first ever Eurovision Audience Polls. It is safe to say: We will be back next year!

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