The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is set to be the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR), the contest will be held in Switzerland, following the country's victory at the 2024 contest with the song "The Code" by Nemo.[2] This will be the third time that Switzerland hosts the contest, having done so for the inaugural contest in 1956 and the 1989 contest, held in Lugano and Lausanne respectively.
| Eurovision Song Contest 2025 | |
|---|---|
| United by Music[1] | |
 | |
| Dates | |
| Semi-final 1 | TBA, 2025 |
| Semi-final 2 | TBA, 2025 |
| Final | TBA, 2025 |
| Host | |
| Venue | TBD, Switzerland |
| Host broadcaster | Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR) |
| Participants (provisional; as of May 2024[update]) | |
| Number of entries | 11 |
| |
Location
Bidding phase
After Switzerland's win in the 2024 contest, the local authorities of Geneva expressed interest in hosting the 2025 edition at Palexpo and submitted a formal application.[3][4] On the same day, the president of the Basel-Stadt government Conradin Cramer also expressed interest in Basel hosting the 2025 event.[5] On 12 May, Olma Hall in St. Gallen was proposed as a potential venue.[6][7] On 13 May 2024, 1956 host city Lugano ruled out a bid to host the 2025 edition, while the president of Bern's cantonal government Phillipp Müller expressed his reluctance to hosting the competition in the de facto Swiss capital, citing "a rise in antisemitism" in the contest.[8][9] Meanwhile, the council of Zürich was reported to have held a "high priority" meeting to discuss a bid.[10][11] On 14 May 2024, 1989 host city Lausanne ruled out bids to host the 2025 edition, citing a lack of infrastructure.[12]On 15 May 2024, Biel/Bienne, Nemo's hometown, declared its interest to be associated and co-host the event.[13] On 17 May 2024, the local government of Fribourg stated that they were examining a potential bid to host the contest.[14]
SRF communicated that the selected bid, and therefore the host city, would be announced in September.[15]
| City | Venue | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basel | TBA | No bid venue yet named, but expressed interest in hosting. St. Jakobshalle is named as a potential venue with capacity for 12,000 people. | [5][16] |
| Geneva | Palexpo | The headquarters of the EBU are located within the city, which can open up several possibilities for integrated actions with the entity. The proposed venue hosted the 2014 Davis Cup semi-final and the 2019 Laver Cup. Capacity for 15,000 people and 2,000 journalists. | [17][18][4] |
| St. Gallen | SGKB Halle | SRG SSR had been contacted regarding the bid by Christine Bolt, head of the Olma National Fair, who offered the hall a potential venue for the contest. However, the distance from airports and other infrastructure may disadvantage the city. | [6][7] |
| Zürich | TBA | No bid venue yet named, but city expressed interest in hosting. Like Basel, the city offers ample infrastructure and all necessary elements to host the event. The Hallenstadion is named as a potential venue with capacity for 13,000 people. | [10][16] |
Provisional list of participating countries
Eligibility for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issues an invitation to participate in the contest to all active members. Countries that are a part of the "Big Five" and the host country Switzerland are expected to be automatically allocated a place in the final of the contest, while all other countries will be placed in one of the two semi-finals.
As of May 2024,[update] the following countries have publicly confirmed their intention to participate in the 2025 contest:
| Country | Broadcaster | Artist | Song | Language | Songwriter(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | ORF | [19] | ||||
 Belgium | VRT | [20] | ||||
 Croatia | HRT | [21] | ||||
 Denmark | DR | TBD 1 March 2025[22] | [22] | |||
 Germany | ARD | [23] | ||||
 Luxembourg | RTL | [24] | ||||
 Malta | PBS | [25] | ||||
 Portugal | RTP | [26] | ||||
 Serbia | RTS | [27] | ||||
 Spain | RTVE | [28] | ||||
 Switzerland | SRG SSR | [29] | ||||
EBU members
Albania – In early May 2024, Andri Xhahu, Eurovision commentator and spokesperson for Albanian broadcaster RTSH, revealed that preparations had started for the next edition of Festivali i Këngës, the national song competition traditionally used to select the Albanian entry for the contest.[30]
Bosnia and Herzegovina – In its broadcasting program for 2024, Bosnian broadcaster BHRT outlined its plans for the year, including a statement that "it is high time to consider the possibility of returning [...] to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025". The broadcaster is still currently under EBU sanctions due to debts.[31] Bosnia and Herzegovina last took part in 2016.
Czechia – On 17 May 2024, the Czech Assistant Head of Press revealed that a decision on the Czech participation in 2025 was made on 10 May, and that it would be ratified and announced after August.[32][33]
Finland – On 13 May 2024, Finnish broadcaster Yle announced when the submission window for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2025 would open.[34] This annual music contest was originally started in 2012 as a national final for selecting Finland's Eurovision entry.
Ireland – In January 2024, Michael Kealy, the head of the Irish delegation in the contest, expressed his hopes that in 2025 RTÉ would be able to produce a national final format independent from The Late Late Show, plans for which were halted in 2023 following a financial scandal.[35]
Latvia – On 15 February 2024, a petition was created on ManaBalss.lv for Latvia to withdraw from the contest, citing high costs and that participants tend to behave "promiscuously"; it suggests that the money should be allocated to underfunded national sports teams. The petition received 10,000 votes, which is the required amount for it to be reviewed by the Saeima.[36]
Lithuania – In April 2024, Audrius Giržadas, the head of the Lithuanian delegation, commented that the superfinal round, introduced in the 2024 national final, was "fully successful" and would continue to be used.[37] He and the head of the telecommunications company also promised to work so that the final results in future editions would be counted faster and more smoothly.[38]
Montenegro – On 5 January 2024, Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG published a report from a public debate held on 4 December 2023 concerning its production plans for 2024. In the report, the broadcaster states that it "plans on organising a music festival to promote Montenegrin artists and authors, and which would (depending on the budget) be used as a way to select the representative for Eurovision 2025".[39][40] Montenegro last took part in 2022.
Netherlands – Following the disqualification of the Dutch entry from the final of the previous edition, a large-scale opinion poll conducted by RTL showed that 65% of the Dutch population does not want the Netherlands to participate in 2025, and 29% only wants their country to participate if Joost Klein is the Dutch entrant again.[41]
Slovenia – On 9 March 2024, Mario Galunič, editor at RTVSLO, drafted a document, with one of the points being a plan to return to selecting Slovene entries for Eurovision through the national final EMA from 2025 until 2028.[42][43] In 2023 and 2024, the broadcaster selected its entries internally, despite originally intending to organise a national final in both years.
Turkey – On 20 May 2024, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan mentioned the contest and Turkey's continuing absence from the event during one of his speeches, commenting that "it was the right decision to leave" and claimed that the contest was "a deliberate attempt to remove gender determination".[44][45] Turkey last took part in 2012.
Non-EBU members
Kosovo – On 29 October 2023, in the wake of the first edition of Festivali i Këngës në RTK, the intended Kosovan national selection event for Eurovision, the CEO of Kosovan broadcaster RTK, Besnik Boletini, reaffirmed the country's continued efforts in order to be included in the contest as early as 2025.[46] In May 2024, RTK announced that it would submit an application in June 2024 to compete in Eurovision in 2025.[47]
Confirmed non-participation
Production
The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be produced by the Swiss national broadcaster, Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR).
References
External links
Media related to Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
