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Sarah Engels to Represent Germany at Eurovision With 'Fire' After Tight Public Vote

A revamped SWR final drew the show's best ratings since 2002, with the outcome and song under immediate scrutiny.

Overview

  • Engels won the Berlin national final with 38.30% of the vote, edging wavvyboi (34.15%) and Molly Sue (27.55%) in a result briefly displayed on-air.
  • A 20-member international jury first cut nine acts to three before viewers decided the winner by phone and online voting.
  • SWR reported 3.651 million viewers and an 18.1% average share for the broadcast, the strongest national-final audience since 2002.
  • Social-media criticism questioned a perceived celebrity advantage and alleged similarities between 'Fire' and Cyprus’s 2018 'Fuego'; these claims remain disputed.
  • Germany is automatically in the May 16 final in Vienna as a Big Five country, and experts express skepticism that the entry will reverse recent poor results.