The Eurovision Song Contest voting sequence is designed to create maximum suspense, but experienced Eurovision fans know there are always a few tricks that can help predict the winner before the hosts officially announce it.
With the Grand Final of Eurovision Song Contest 2026 taking place tonight in Vienna, here are some clever Eurovision hacks that can completely change the way you watch the show.
Hack #1: The “2088 points” trick
One of the most interesting Eurovision statistics is that the total number of televoting points available tonight is already known before the voting even begins.
Each voting entity awards the following points:
- 1 point
- 2 points
- 3 points
- 4 points
- 5 points
- 6 points
- 7 points
- 8 points
- 10 points
- 12 points
This means that every country awards a total of 58 points.
This year, there are:
- 35 participating countries voting
- 1 Rest of the World vote
That creates a total of 36 televoting entities.
So the total televoting points awarded tonight will be:
58 × 36 = 2088 televoting points
As the hosts begin announcing the televoting totals country by country, fans can continuously subtract the revealed points from the known total of 2088.
By the time only one or two countries remain without their televote announced, it often becomes mathematically possible to predict the winner before the official reveal happens on television.
How the televote reveal works
Once all jury points have been awarded, the hosts begin revealing the televoting totals starting from the country that received the fewest jury points and continuing upward through the scoreboard.
This creates the dramatic reversals Eurovision fans know and love, with the televote often completely reshaping the rankings established by the juries.
However, because the total televoting points available are fixed, viewers paying close attention can sometimes calculate the remaining available points before the final announcement.
Hack #2: Watch delegation reactions
Another classic Eurovision trick is watching the delegations instead of the scoreboard.
Artists and delegations often receive information through team communication or begin understanding the likely outcome before viewers at home do. Sharp-eyed fans sometimes spot celebrations, panic or emotional reactions seconds before crucial results are revealed.
Hack #3: The televote can change everything
Eurovision history has repeatedly shown that leading after the jury vote does not guarantee victory.
Massive public support can completely overturn the scoreboard, especially when strong televote countries begin receiving large points totals late in the sequence.
Countries sitting second, third or even lower after the juries can still win Eurovision if the televote swings strongly in their favour.
Hack #4: The running order matters more than people think
Eurovision fans have spent years analysing the impact of the running order on the final result.
Traditionally, songs performed later in the show tend to benefit from stronger memorability during televoting, while opening positions often face a more difficult challenge.
Although a strong song can succeed from any position, many fans believe late-running entries gain an important advantage once viewers begin casting their votes.
Eurovision always finds a way to surprise us
Despite all the calculations, predictions and fan theories, Eurovision continues to deliver unexpected moments year after year.
And that unpredictability remains one of the biggest reasons why millions of viewers across Europe, Australia and beyond continue tuning in every May.
