Before the final there were four heats and a second chance round, with all shows presented by Lena Philipsson, Melodifestivalen 2004 winner and Swedish representative at Eurovision 2004. The top two songs in each heat directly qualified for the final, while the 3rd and 4th placed songs went forward to the second-chance round.
Prior to the grand finale of Melodifestivalen 2004, there were four heats and a "second chance" round.  Lena Philipsson, winner of Melodifestivalen 2004 and Sweden's Eurovision representative that year, hosted all the shows. The top two songs from each heat advanced directly to the final, while the third and fourth-place songs moved on to the second-chance round.