In the Swedish selection, she was a favorite to win. If she were to emerge victorious on Saturday night, it would be a gigantic surprise.
The day before the final, Felicia is listed at 51-to-1 at most bookmakers, which corresponds to a 2 percent probability of a Swedish victory.
"It's very unlikely, and often the odds are right. If she were to win... it would be seen as a huge shock," says Martin Jonsson.
For many years he has worked in odds-setting at Svenska Spel for various sporting events and also for Melodifestivalen and the Eurovision Song Contest.
Often a favorite
Historically, Sweden has usually been among the early favorites, at least in the initial stages, Martin Jonsson points out.
"Of course, it depends on our history of strong finishes; we often go far and have good entries," he says, mentioning Loreen, for example, as a heavy favorite who withstood the pressure.
This time, Finland has instead taken the lead as the favorite, currently at 1.75. Felicia, on the other hand, has seen her odds lengthen; in other words, fewer and fewer people believe in her.
"If you look at the movements, her odds lengthened a bit already before the first semi-final. She was probably 20-to-1 around the first semi-final," says Martin Jonsson.
For betting companies, there are completely different parameters to take into account when setting the odds compared to, for example, a traditional football match where form, injuries and position in the table are taken into account.
"We also take in streaming data from various platforms such as Spotify, and consider popularity and what is written in the press," says Raúl Valencia López, marketing manager at the betting company Unibet.
Does not increase her chances
Ultimately, the odds are also about how much money is bet on each individual participant. They do not believe that Felicia doing something drastic like taking off her mask in Saturday's final will increase the chances of a Swedish victory.
"If it had been in Melodifestivalen, it could have had significance and been a completely different thing. In Europe, I don't think they have that look at Miss Snusk and the mask, I guess," says Martin Jonsson.
