Eurovision 2018 – Bookies say Cyprus favourite to win (Updated)

Bookmakers are slating Cyprus to win the Eurovision 2018 song contest, it emerged on Tuesday, showing singer Eleni Foureira and her song ‘Fuego’ as the favourite.

Greek singer Eleni Foureira is slated to perform in the first semi-final on Tuesday evening set to take place in Lisbon, Portugal where she is vying to secure a place in the grand final of the 63rd Eurovision Song Contest set for Saturday.

An article posted on eurovisionworld.com said Foureira had ranked 34th while Israel’s Netta Barzilai with the song Toy had been first.

Nonetheless, after Foureira’s first rehearsal on April 30, she has since moved up and is now in first place.

Cyprus has participated in Eurovision 34 times and came fifth in 1982, 1997 and 2004 with Lisa Andreas with the song Stronger Every Minute.

The second semi-final is set for Thursday.

Tonight, a total of 19 countries will take to the stage in Lisbon in the first semi final: Azerbaijan, Iceland, Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Israel, Belarus, Estonia, Bulgaria, F.Y.R. Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Greece, Finland, Armenia, Switzerland, Ireland and Cyprus. Only 10 will qualify for Saturday’s final.

Yianna Terzi and the song `Oneiro mou-My dream` will represent Greece to appear 14th place.

 

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.