Hello Europe, Switzerland is gearing up in full steam to welcome the Eurovision bandwagon along with its glam, glitz and glitter for the third time in ESC history. The country has kicked off preparations for the upcoming 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. How many countries will compete in the contest next year? Will there be any new countries joining the club? Will we see any returning nations? Will there be any withdrawals? Let’s check out who’s heading to Switzerland next year….

Circa 40 countries are expected to partake in the competition next year in the Switzerland. The maximum number of countries permitted to compete in next year’s contest is 44, whilst the Grand Final will feature a maximum of 26 nations battling for the coveted Eurovision trophy. A maximum of 38 countries will battle in one of the two semi-finals.

10 countries from each semifinal will proceed to the Grand Final, thus 20 nations will join the 2025 Eurovision winning country, Switzerland and the Big Five (Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France).

So far 25 countries have confirmed their participation at the upcoming 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland.

The deadline for broadcasters to apply for participation concludes on 15 September 2024 whilst the  grace period for applicant countries to withdraw their application without facing a financial penalty concludes on 11 October 2024.

This article will be updated constantly in the lead up to the EBU’s official announcement of the 2025 Eurovision list of participating countries.

Will we see any debuts in 2025?

It is highly unlikely that we will see any new countries debuting in Switzerland. Both Kosovo and Kazakhstan are keen to enter the competition but do not comply with the EBU’s rules and regulations in order participate in the contest.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein‘s national broadcaster 1FL TV is not an EBU member therefore it is not eligible to take part in the contest.

Kosovo

Kosovo is not a member of the ITU (International Television Union), one of  the key requirements to become an active EBU member. Thus RTK is not an EBU member and is currently ineligible to join the contest. The country is neither a member of the United Nations or the Council of Europe. The Eurovision Song Contest has been broadcast live in the Balkan country in recent years. In 2024 RTK broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest live from Malmo.

Kazakhstan

Kazakh broadcaster Khabar Agency is an associate EBU member since 2016 and thus NOT ELIGIBLE to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest, Kazakhstan has to be formally invited by the EBU to join the competition. It is entirely up to the EBU’s discretion to extend an invite to the country very much like in the case of Australia. The Kazakh broadcaster has been airing the contest for the past years.

Kazakhstan  debuted at the 2018 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Minsk and has competed in the competition five times.

Will we see Australia at Eurovision 2025?

The ultimate Aussie Eurovision dream saw the day of light back in 2015 when our neighbours down under were invited to partake in Europe’s favourite television show in Vienna. 2019 saw Australia holding a full fledged national final in order to determine its Eurovision hopeful, thus celebrating its fifth consecutive Eurovision participation. The Aussies continued with their national final in 2020 and 2022.

Until 2019 SBS had to wait for an invite from the EBU and  host broadcaster in order to participate in our beloved song contest, on a year to year basis. This was no longer be necessary until 2023 as SBS Australia and the EBU  sealed a five year deal enabling the country to compete in the song contest for  five years. This deal concluded in 2023 and in 2024 Australia was invited by the EBU and SVT to partake in the competition in Malmo, Sweden.

The Eurovision Song Contest’s Reference Group (the governing body of the competition on behalf of the competing broadcasters) approved the decision to grant Australia and SBS the right to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest for five years, thus securing participation in the competition until 2023.

Australia was invited to participate at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna as a one off occasion, but our neighbours down under embraced the contest with such enthusiasm they were invited back again in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,  2022,  2023 and 2024.

The Aussies have won the hearts of Eurovision fans near and far, achieving 5 Top 10 placings in their short nine year Eurovision history.

It is more than likely that the EBU and SRG-SSR extend an invite to Australia to compete at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland.

Will there be any returning countries?

North Macedonia broadcast the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, and chances of seeing this country return to the competition next year is relatively high, MKRTV is yet to decide if it will return or not. Whilst Montenegro which also broadcast ESC 2024 has confirmed its return to the contest in 2025.

Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary and Monaco are yet to decide if they will return to the competition next year.

• Monaco is yet to decide if it will compete at Eurovision 2025.  The microstate withdrew from the competition in 2007 and has not returned since. The last time Monaco competed at the Eurovision Song Contest was in 2006, back then the Monegasque national broadcaster TMC was responsible for the microstate’s participation at Eurovision. In recent years TMC merged into French broadcaster TF 1 and is no more a member of the EBU. MMD is an active member of the EBU and thus is eligible to partake in the competition. On September 1st TVMONACO was launched in Monaco and the television channel is under the umbrella of MMD is thus eligible to partake at the Eurovision Song Contest if it wishes to. TVMONACO is also an active member of the EBU and is also eligible to compete at Eurovision.
• Hungary decided to withdraw from the competition in 2020 and has not returned since. The country’s return to the competition in 2025 remains grim.
• Turkey withdrew from the event in 2013 citing that it did not agree with the new rules of the competition and has not returned since. TRT is yet to decide if it will return to the contest next year, but its chances of returning seem slim.
• North Macedonia withdrew from the competition in 2023 and is yet to decide if it will return in 2025. MKRTV broadcast the 2024 Eurovsion edition.
• Bulgaria withdrew from the competition in 2023 and is yet to decide if it will be returning to the contest next year in Switzerland.
• Montenegro withdrew from the competition in 2023 and will be returning to the competition in 2025 after a two year hiatus. RTCG confirmed its participation on 15th August 2024.
• Romania withdrew from the competition in 2024 due to financial issues. TVR is yet to decide if it will return to the contest next year.

Who will not return?

Belarus, Russia, Andorra, Slovakia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Morocco will not be competing at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.

• Belarus-Belarusian national broadcaster, BTRC, has been expelled from the EBU and is thus ineligible to join the competition next year. Hence we will not see Belarus compete at Eurovision 2025.
• Morocco debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980 and has not competed since, we don’t expect the Northern African country to compete in the contest next year either.
• Russia was set to compete at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin but was  excluded from partaking in the competion by the EBU in the wake of the latest events in Ukraine. The Russian broadcasters have been suspended from the EBU. Hence we will not see the country returning to the competition next year either.
• Bosnia & Herzegovina will not return to the competition next year either, BHRT confirmed the sad news to ESCToday.  The Balkan country last graced the competition in 2016 and has not competed since due to a financial embargo implemented by the EBU due to its debt and the country’s host broadcaster has been afflicted with hefty financial contraints.
• Andorra will not return to the competition in 2025 either. The landlocked nation withdrew from the competition in 2010 and has not returned since. The Andorran national broadcaster, RTVA, confirmed to ESCToday that the country will not participate at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest.
• Slovakia withdrew from the competition in 2013 and has not returned since. RTVS was considering to return to the competition this year, but the country’s return has been dampened due to financial costs and low viewing figures. STVR (formerly RTVS), the Slovak national broadaster, has confirmed to ESCToday that Slovakia will not compete at Eurovision 2025.

Who will withdraw?

The Netherlands is yet undecided regarding its partcipation at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after the incidents which took place at Eurovision 2024 in Malmo and Joost Klein’s disqualification from the Grand Final. AVROTROS will make a decision in September. Out of the 37 other competing countries at Eurovision 2024 none of them apart from the Netherlands have given any indication of withdrawing from the competition next year.

[UPDATED 12/09/2024]

The EBU has granted AVROTROS an extension on its participation deadline until November 1st 2024 after the Dutch broadcaster requested a postponement. There are constructive talks going on between the EBU and AVROTROS and the EBU hopes to see the Netherlands competing at the 2025 Eurovision edition in Basel.

Confirmed countries

1. Spain
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany
4. Switzerland
5. Belgium
6. Sweden
7. Norway
8. Denmark
9. Finland
10. Israel
11. San Marino
12. Serbia
13. Latvia
14. Luxembourg
15. Cyprus
16. Azerbaijan
17. Lithuania
18. Portugal
19. Montenegro
20. Italy
21. France
22. Georgia
23. Czechia
24. Austria
25. Ukraine

Yet to confirm

1. Australia
2. Ireland
3. Estonia
4. Malta
5. Armenia
6. Poland
7. Albania
8. Netherlands
9. Iceland
10. Croatia
11. Slovenia
12. Greece
13. Moldova

Will there be any returning countries?

• Romania
• North Macedonia
• Bulgaria
• Turkey
• Hungary
• Monaco

Will not return

• Russia
• Belarus
• Andorra
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Slovakia
• Morocco

Will there be any debuts?

• Liechtenstein
• Kosovo
• Kazakhstan

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 13,15 and 17 May in Switzerland. The Eurovision 2025 host will be held at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.

Source: ESCToday
Photo credit: EBU/SRG