The Eurovision Song Contest was born in 1956 and this year we are heading to Malmo, Sweden for the 68th edition of the competition. How many countries have hosted our favorite television shows? How many countries have never hosted the event? Let’s delve into our history books and find out….

The Eurovision Song Contest, a vibrant celebration of music and cultural exchange, has captivated audiences for over 60 years. But did you know the contest itself travels across Europe? That’s right, each year, the winning country gets the prestigious honor of hosting the following year’s event, transforming their nation into a Eurovision wonderland!

How many countries have hosted Eurovision?

Since its debut in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1956, Eurovision has seen a total of 27 countries take center stage as hosts. From the charming lakeside town of Lugano to the upcoming grand spectacle in Malmö, Sweden, in May 2024, Eurovision has brought its glitz and glamour to cities big and small.

The United Kingdom holds the record for most hosting gigs, having staged the contest a magnificent nine times! Ireland and Sweden follow closely behind with seven contests hosted (Malmo 2024 will be the 7th contest for Sweden).

Other Eurovision veterans include Netherlands (5 times), Luxembourg (4 times), and Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, and Norway (all with 3 contests hosted). Whilst Switzerland, Ukraine and Austria have hosted the competition twice.

Greece, Portugal, Russia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Estonia, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, Finland, Yugoslavia, Belgium have all hosted the event once.

The tradition of the winning country hosting the competition the following year started in 1958 when the Netherlands hosted the contest having won the previous year.

Which cities have hosted the contest most times?

Notably Ireland’s capital city Dublin holds the record of hosting the event a whopping 6 times ( 1971, 1981, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997) followed by London  ( 1960, 1963, 1968, 1977) and Luxembourg City ( 1962,1966, 1973, 1984) who have hosted the contest four times . In third place we have Copenhagen (1964, 2001, 2014), Malmo (1992, 2013, 2024), Stockholm ( 1975, 2000, 2016) – all have hosted the contest thrice.

The host city is meticulously chosen, boasting a venue large enough to accommodate the thousands of fans and delegations, and often showcasing the country’s unique culture and spirit.

Which countries have stepped in to host the contest for another country?

The United Kingdom and the BBC have stepped in to host the competition on behalf of another country five times: 1960, 1963, 1972, 1974 and 2023. Whilst the Netherlands stepped in 1980 when Israel declined to host the contest for a second consecutive year. In 1957 Germany stepped in to host the event as Switzerland declined to host the event for a second consecutive year.

We should also note that the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest was cancelled in Rotterdam due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Here’s a delightful dive into the history of Eurovision host countries, with a table detailing the year, city, and host country:

Eurovision Song Contest Host Countries and cities (1956-2024)

Year	City	Host Country
1956	Lugano	Switzerland
1957	Frankfurt am Main	West Germany
1958	Hilversum	Netherlands
1959	Cannes	France
1960	London	United Kingdom
1961	Cannes	France
1962	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg
1963	London	United Kingdom
1964	Copenhagen	Denmark
1965	Naples	Italy
1966	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg
1967	Vienna	Austria
1968	London	United Kingdom
1969	Madrid	Spain
1970	Amsterdam	Netherlands
1971	Dublin	Ireland
1972	Edinburgh	United Kingdom
1973	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg
1974	Brighton	United Kingdom
1975	Stockholm	Sweden
1976	The Hague	Netherlands
1977	London	United Kingdom
1978	Paris	France
1979	Jerusalem	Israel
1980	The Hague	Netherlands
1981	Dublin	Ireland
1982	Harrogate	United Kingdom
1983	Munich	West Germany
1984	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg
1985	Gothenburg	Sweden
1986	Bergen	Norway
1987	Brussels	Belgium
1988	Dublin	Ireland
1989	Lausanne	Switzerland
1990	Zagreb	Yugoslavia
1991	Rome	Italy
1992	Malmö	Sweden
1993	Millstreet	Ireland
1994	Dublin	Ireland
1995	Dublin	Ireland
1996	Oslo	Norway
1997	Dublin	Ireland
1998	Birmingham	United Kingdom
1999	Jerusalem	Israel
2000	Stockholm	Sweden
2001	Copenhagen	Denmark
2002	Tallinn	Estonia
2003	Riga	Latvia
2004	Istanbul	Turkey
2005	Kyiv	Ukraine
2006	Athens	Greece
2007	Helsinki	Finland
2008	Belgrade	Serbia
2009	Moscow	Russia
2010	Oslo	Norway
2011	Düsseldorf	Germany
2012	Baku	Azerbaijan
2013	Malmö	Sweden
2014	Copenhagen	Denmark
2015	Vienna	Austria
2016	Stockholm	Sweden
2017	Kyiv	Ukraine
2018	Lisbon	Portugal
2019	Tel Aviv	Israel
2020	Rotterdam	Netherlands
2021	Rotterdam	Netherlands
2022	Turin	Italy
2023	Liverpool	United Kingdom
2024	Malmö	Sweden

Which countries have never hosted the competition?

A total of 24 countries who have participated in the competition have never hosted the contest, including Morocco which only graced the event once in 1980 and has not returned since. Monaco won the contest in 1971 but decline to host the event the following year and the United Kingdom stepped in to host the contest.

Below you can find the list of countries which have never hosted the contest (none of them have the contest with the exception of Monaco):

1. Australia
2. Andorra
3. Armenia
4. Belarus
5. Bosnia and Herzegovina
6. Bulgaria
7. Croatia
8. Cyprus
9. Czechia
10. Georgia
11. Hungary
12. Iceland
13. Lithuania
14. Malta
15. Moldova
16. Monaco (won in 1971 but didn’t host the contest the following year)
17. Montenegro
18. Morocco
19. North Macedonia
20. Poland
21. Romania
22. San Marino
23. Slovakia
24. Slovenia

Will we see a new country win the contest in Malmo come May and the Eurovision bandwagon travelling to a new land? Only time will tell…

Source: ESCToday/ eurovision.tv
Photo credit: EBU