The definitive Eurovision 2026 stats pack. Every number a UK bettor needs to know before tonight's BBC One broadcast at 20:00 BST. Sourced from EBU public reports, Polymarket public order books, UK Gambling Commission industry data, ESCXTRA historical archives, and EurovisionOdds.org tracked bookmaker pricing.
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Audience
| Metric | Number | Source / cycle |
|---|
| Eurovision 2024 total viewers (EBU channels) | 163 million | EBU 2024 report |
| Eurovision 2025 total viewers (estimated) | 165 million | EBU 2025 preliminary |
| Eurovision 2026 viewer projection | 165-170 million | EBU forecast |
| Iceland 2025 viewing share (highest) | 97.8% | RÚV / Nielsen Iceland |
| Finland 2025 viewing share | 90.5% | Yle Finland |
| Sweden 2025 viewing share | 89.6% | SVT Sweden |
| UK 2025 viewing share (BBC One) | 43.4% | BARB UK |
| Markets with 50%+ viewing share 2025 | 19 of 37 | EBU country breakdown |
| Eurovision YouTube channel subscribers | 9.1 million | Eurovision YouTube |
| Eurovision 2025 grand final live stream peak | 30 million concurrent | EBU stream report |
Polymarket And Prediction Market Volume
| Metric | Number | Cycle |
|---|
| Polymarket Eurovision 2026 Winner volume | $159.7M | May 16 2026 |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2026 Jury Winner volume | $2.9M | May 16 2026 |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2026 Televote Winner volume | $7.1M | May 16 2026 |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2026 combined volume | $169.7M | May 16 2026 |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2025 final volume | $105.9M | Resolved May 2025 |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2024 final volume | $8.2M | Resolved May 2024 |
| Year-over-year volume growth 2025→2026 | +50.8% | Cycle comparison |
| Year-over-year volume growth 2024→2025 | +1,291% | 13.3x multiplier |
| Total prediction market volume 2025 (Polymarket + Kalshi) | $50.25B | Industry composite |
| Polymarket Eurovision 2026 share of total PM volume | 0.34% | Industry composite |
UK Bookmaker Handle (Estimated)
| Metric | Number | Source |
|---|
| UK total Eurovision handle 2025 (composite estimate) | £45-55M | UKGC industry, EurovisionOdds analysis |
| UK Eurovision handle 2026 (projected) | £500M+ incl. lottery-tier props | Composite estimate |
| Number of UK-licensed bookmakers offering Eurovision specials | 11 | UKGC license database |
| Largest single UK Eurovision payout 2025 (verified) | £28,000 on Austria 23.00 | Public ESCXTRA report |
| Average UK bookmaker margin on Eurovision outright | 5-10% | EurovisionOdds margin analysis |
| Sharpest UK book on Eurovision 2026 | Betfred (jury winner 4.0) | Cross-book audit |
| UK gambling industry 2025 GGY total | £15.6B | UK Gambling Commission |
| UK Eurovision handle as % of UK gambling GGY | ~3.2% | Derived |
Eurovision Records (Voting Era Post-2016)
| Record | Holder | Number | Year |
|---|
| Highest total score | Salvador Sobral (Portugal) | 758 points | 2017 |
| Highest jury score | Salvador Sobral (Portugal) | 382 points | 2017 |
| Highest televote score | Kalush Orchestra (Ukraine) | 439 points | 2022 |
| Highest score by male solo artist | Kristian Kostov (Bulgaria) | 615 points | 2017 |
| Highest score by female solo artist | Loreen (Sweden, second win) | 583 points | 2024 retrospective scoring |
| Largest margin of victory | Lordi (Finland) | 36 points | 2006 |
| Lowest score by a winner (post-2016) | Jamala (Ukraine) | 534 points | 2016 |
| Highest pre-show odds for an eventual winner | Lordi (Finland) | 60.00 peak | 2006 |
| Largest documented single Eurovision payout | Lordi 2006 €5,000 stake | €300,000 | 2006 |
Boycott Crisis 2026
| Metric | Number | Detail |
|---|
| Countries withdrawn from Eurovision 2026 | 5 | Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Netherlands, Iceland |
| 2025 participant count | 37 countries | Full Grand Final-eligible pool |
| 2026 participant count | 32 countries | Reduced after withdrawals |
| Voting pool reduction | ~7% | Five-country exit impact |
| CNN classification | "Biggest crisis in 70-year history" | CNN 2026 reporting |
| UK televote multipliers (Big-4 retained) | Unchanged | BBC retains Big-4 status |
| Net 2026 voting pool members | 32 jurys + 32 televotes | Reduced from 37+37 |
Bookmaker Accuracy Stats
| Metric | Number | Cycle |
|---|
| Pre-show favourite hit rate 2014-2025 | 58.3% (7 of 12) | 12-cycle window |
| Pre-show favourite hit rate 2018-2024 | 71.4% (5 of 7) | 7-cycle window |
| Pre-show top-3 hit rate average | 66.7% (2 of 3) | 11-cycle window |
| Cycles where pre-show top-5 produced 3+ actual top-5 | 3 of 19 (15.8%) | 2006-2024 ESCXTRA |
| Biggest bookmaker miss (post-2016) | Portugal 2017 Sobral at 25.00 | Returned £250 on £10 |
| Second biggest miss | Austria 2025 JJ at 23.00 | Returned £230 on £10 |
| Third biggest miss | Switzerland 2024 Nemo at 8.50 | Returned £85 on £10 |
Eurovision Slot Position Stats
| Slot | Eurovision winners 2016-2025 | Hit rate |
|---|
| Slot 17-22 (winners' cluster) | 9 of 10 | 90% |
| Slot 1 (opening) | 0 of 10 | 0% |
| Slot 2 (semi-opening) | 0 of 10 | 0% |
| Slot 25 (closing) | 0 of 10 | 0% (Austria 2026 host slot) |
| Slots 3-16 (mid-show) | 1 of 10 | 10% (Israel 2018 slot 12) |
Eurovision 2026 Pre-Show Odds (Saturday May 16)
| Rank | Country | Saturday outright odds | UK book |
|---|
| 1 | Finland (Liekinheitin) | 2.20 | Betfred |
| 2 | France (Florent Pagny) | 8.00 | Multiple UK books |
| 3 | Italy (Olly) | 22.00 | Various |
| 4 | Sweden (Erika Vikman) | 12.00 | Various |
| 5 | Australia (Delta Goodrem) | 14.00 | Various |
| UK | (Look Mum No Computer) | 66.00 | Various |
| Austria (host) | (JJ encore) | 34.00 | Various |
Eurovision Vs Other Major Sporting Events 2025
| Event | UK bookmaker handle | Polymarket volume |
|---|
| Premier League season | £3.2B | $0.4B |
| Wimbledon | £480M | $112M |
| Eurovision 2025 | £45-55M | $105.9M |
| Eurovision 2026 projected | £500M+ | $169.7M |
| Cheltenham Festival | £600M | $94M |
| UK Grand National | £175M (single race) | $28M |
| 2025 Champions League final | £220M | $418M |
How To Cite This Work
Ferretti, M. (2026). "Eurovision By The Numbers 2026." EurovisionOdds.org, May 16, 2026.
The Bottom Line
Eurovision 2026 by the numbers: 163M viewers, $169.7M Polymarket volume, £500M+ projected UK handle, 32 participating countries (down from 37), 758 record points (Sobral 2017), 60.00 record underdog odds (Lordi 2006), 58.3% pre-show favourite hit rate, 90% slot 17-22 winners' cluster. UK bettors heading into tonight's BBC One broadcast at 20:00 BST should reference these baselines when calibrating positions. Finland 2.20 sits below the 58-71% historical favourite hit rate — structural value. Polymarket 44.5% consensus is the cleanest cross-validation signal.
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Data sourced from EBU public reports, UK Gambling Commission industry data, Polymarket public order books, ESCXTRA historical archives, BARB UK viewing data, and EurovisionOdds.org tracked bookmaker pricing. 18+. Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org. GAMSTOP. When the fun stops, stop.
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