Jiorgos Liagas commented sharply on the result of the Greek participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2026, expressing the opinion that Akylas’ 10th place is not a failure, but on the contrary a decent result, given the circumstances and the dynamics of the song.
Speaking on ANT1’s To Porino, the presenter argued that too high expectations were created around Greece’s participation, resulting in the final ranking being presented almost as a failure.
As he said, he felt that the song was not among the top entries in the competition and that there were several entries with a stronger musical footprint. At the same time, he made it clear that he was not assigning blame to Akylas, whom he described as very likeable and better as an artistic presence than the song itself allowed him to be.
Giorgos Liagas also criticized ERT, claiming that a climate of over-optimism was cultivated both in the media and in the Greek mission, with constant predictions of conquering a position at the top. According to him, this put too much pressure on the young artist, who found himself managing expectations disproportionate to his experience and journey.
At the same time, the presenter also commented on the importance given to the betting odds before the final, believing that in the end they did not reflect the true picture of the competition, as several of the theoretical favourites failed to confirm the predictions.
In conclusion, Giorgos Liagas stressed that a place in the top ten is clearly a positive result for Greece, but the excessive expectations that had been created distorted the image of the final ranking in the eyes of the public.
