'Overwhelmed' Aidan to perform 10th in Eurovision final on Saturday
Bookmakers place Aidan and his song Bella in 10th place to win the contest
Aidan will perform 10th during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Saturday evening.
He announced: “I will perform Bella in spot #10 at the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026! Support Bella and vote for Malta on May 16 .”
On Thursday night, Aidan secured his place in the final after qualifying from the semi-final with his cinematic ballad Bella.
He will compete against entries from Denmark, Germany, Israel, Belgium, Albania, Greece, Ukraine, Australia, Serbia, Czechia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the United Kingdom, France, Moldova, Finland, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Cyprus, Italy, Norway, Romania, and host country Austria.
“I am completely overwhelmed by all the messages and responses from the Maltese public. I want to thank everyone for their support, and I promise to make Malta even more proud tomorrow,” Aidan said after making it through the semi-final.
In a statement to the media, Aidan’s spokesperson said that the next 48 hours are set to be intense for the entire team.
“The demanding schedule began this morning [Friday] with the flag parade rehearsal, which prepares the artists for the iconic opening sequence seen at the beginning of every grand final. This is followed immediately by a full show run-through, leading straight into the crucial jury rehearsal,” they said, adding that tonight there will be a dress rehearsal to prepare for the live finale.
The professional juries from each participating country will watch tonight's performances and cast their official votes.
This is a vital phase of the competition, as the overall Eurovision results are determined by a 50/50 split between the jury and the public televote.
How is Saturday's running order decided?
A random draw determines whether a country will perform in the first or second half, or whether its fate is in the producers' hands.
Aidan drew 'producer's choice' - which means it is the producers who get to pick which half he performs in.
Ultimately, it is up to the same producers to decide the specific order of performances on the big night.
Decisions are subjective and based on the type of songs, their stage performances, required stage props, lighting requirements and other production considerations.
A look at previous Eurovision winners suggests that performing in the second half of the show can be advantageous.
However, there have been exceptions. Last year, Austria won after performing ninth, the same position Sweden performed when it won in 2023.
With Aidan performing midway through the show, expectations remain cautiously optimistic. According to bookmakers, he is predicted to finish around 10th place.
The favourite, according to polls, is Finland’s Søren Torpegaard Lund with the song Før Vi Går Hjem, set to perform 17th, followed by Australia’s Delta Goodrem performing eighth with Eclipse.
Conte guest star at final
Miriana Conte will be performing as a guest star at the final on Saturday.
Conte placed 17th in the competition held in Switzerland last year with her track Serving.
The singer was one of the contest’s most controversial entries, having had to retitle her song Kant to Serving after the European Broadcasting Union’s decision not to allow her to use the word Kant in the song.
While Kant translates to singing in Maltese, the sound is similar to an English swearword referring to a woman’s genitalia.
Major financial contributors - the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy - have guaranteed spots in Saturday’s 25-country final, alongside the host nation, Austria.
The remaining countries qualified through the two semi-finals held on Tuesday and Thursday.
Eurovision remains the world’s biggest live televised music event, typically attracting more than 150 million viewers.
The 70th edition of Eurovision has been marred by the largest boycott in the contest’s history, after five countries withdrew in protest over Israel’s participation.