Kalush Orchestra Bookmakers see Ukraine clearly ahead at the ESC
In the shadow of the war in their homeland, Kalush Orchestra will compete at this year's ESC in Turin. International bookmakers are expecting a show of European solidarity for the Ukrainian band.
According to bookmakers, Ukraine is the favorite to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Turin.
International betting providers see the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra, which will be performing the song "Stefania", in the lead - and are also predicting a show of European solidarity in the Ukraine war.
The provider Unibet, for example, offered odds of 2 on Monday, i.e. it will pay out 20 euros for a 10 euro stake if Ukraine wins. In mid-February, Ukraine, which still has to qualify for the final on May 14 in one of the semi-finals (May 10 and 12), was still positioned in midfield in an overall ranking by some bookmakers.
Second place for Italy?
In second place were Mahmood & Blanco (win odds 4.25), who are representing the host country Italy in Turin with their song "Brividi". The singers won the traditional Sanremo music festival in February - and have a good chance of repeating Måneskin's success, according to the bookmakers. The band first won the festival in Sanremo and then the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021.
In third place was Sweden's starter Cornelia Jakobs, who is entering the race with the song "Hold Me Closer" (win odds 8). Germany's participant Malik Harris ("Rockstars") was in 24th place (Unibet odds 151) out of 40 nations that have now all entered their ESC entry. The bookmakers were often right about the top ESC places.
The ESC is already heavily influenced by the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra replaced the original candidate Alina Pash. The background to this was unanswered questions about the singer's trip to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2015. Russia was excluded from this year's Song Contest by the ESC organizer - the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - following the invasion of Ukraine.