It’s almost the moment of truth for Monroe. The 17-year-old singer will defend the colors of France this Saturday, May 16 in Vienna, during the final of the 70th edition of Eurovision. After discovering the complete scenography of the French artist during the second semi-final, European telehook aficionados learned his running order on Friday.
L’interprète de Regarde ! will take the stage in fifteenth position (out of 25 participants), in the second part of the evening, with an estimated time of 10:28 p.m. The information was eagerly awaited by some of the “Eurofans”who consider that an advantageous placement in the line-up considerably increases the chances of victory.
A very widespread theory is that the second part of the evening is more advantageous, and this for a very simple reason: the later a performance is, the more likely the spectators are to have it in mind when taking part in the televote.
The second part of the evening is the most coveted
Several French examples seem to confirm this “Eurovisionnesque” theorem. We can cite Barbara Pravi, ranked 2nd in 2021 after having sung in 20th position, or Slimane who came 4th in 2024 after a move to penultimate place. Following this theory, Monroe’s 15th place in the second half of the evening gives the Frenchwoman, now 9th in the bookmakers’ rankings, a chance to attract the attention of the public.
But this “It’s customary to say that a good seat is towards the end of the show.” also has its limits, says Benoît Blaszczyk, president of the French Eurofans quoted by TV Magazine. The latter does not hesitate to talk about « mythe »pointing out that “The Austrian JJ who won last year was in […] 9e position » and emphasizing that this year “for the first time, votes are open from the start of the showâ€reducing the influence of the running order.
In this context, what do we think of Monroe’s 15th place? Fabien Randanne, journalist at 20 Minutes and Eurovision specialist, especially remembers which countries surround France in the line-up. The tricolor candidate “can to some extent benefit from the contrast with the United Kingdom [14e] and Moldova [16e] »he wrote on X.
TOBIAS SCHWARZ / AFP
Monroe on the stage of Eurovision 2026 in Vienna, on May 15, during rehearsals for the final.
France is the only country whose place was not drawn by lot
Monroe’s song, lyrical and with strong vocal demonstration, is indeed very different from the British and Moldovan entries, completely crazy for the first and very danceable for the second. This contrast undoubtedly owes nothing to chance since France, unlike the other countries, did not recover its 15th place in the draw.
As pointed out West FranceMonroe is “Producer’s Choice” for the 2026 edition. This rule, in place two years ago, allows the organizers to choose the place of one of the participants. The objective is in particular to avoid too many similar songs being linked together.
While it is difficult to say whether or not France’s 15th place will help it win, for other countries, the impact of the ranking leaves less doubt. By opening the ball, Denmark, which was well ranked by the bookmakers, is « le plus mal servi »judge Fabien Randanne who believes that Greece “There is no pas aidée” neither with his 6th place.
Conversely, Finland which is the bettors’ favorite «A un boulevard» according to the journalist, his 17th place allowed him to hope for a good score in the televote.
