Eurovision 2025: Candidates and Favourites
What is Eurovision and Who is Participating?
Eurovision is an international music competition where acts from all corners of Europe and a few others face off by performing their song in a three-minute period, with the winner being decided by votes.
The 2025 competition will be the 69th edition and features 37 different nations, all hoping to become the next champion. Eurovision will include two semi-finals on May 13 and 15, culminating in the grand final on May 17 at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland.
As is the norm, the 37 acts will be trimmed to 26 ahead of the final, with the UK’s hopes being pinned on Remember Monday and their single “What the Hell Just Happened?” However, they face plenty of competition from the likes of Sweden, Austria and France.
Who are the Favourites to Win Eurovision 2025?
The odds for the winner of Eurovision 2025 have changed several times over the last few weeks, but as it stands, Sweden is currently listed as the country to beat by all the best online betting sites with their entry “Bara Bada Bastu” by KAJ.
According to the latest polls, KAJ are showing up with a 36% chance to win the competition this year, and if they live up to expectations, it will be the eighth time the country has won the contest, making them the most successful nation in the history of Eurovision.
Austria is second in the betting market, aiming for their third win with “Wasted Love” performed by Austrian-Filipino artist JJ. A victory for Austria will be their first in over a decade, since Conchita Wurst took home the microphone trophy in 2014.
The third-favourite at present is France’s Louanne and her ballad “Maman” with 7% of the poll. Louanne is no stranger to the big stage either, having also featured in the 2013 edition of The Voice (France), and she has sold over three billion records since then.
Claude with “C’est La Vie” is the fourth-favourite representing the Netherlands, and a victory for the Congolese-born Dutch singer will be the sixth for the country, and the ideal way for the nation to bounce back from last year’s disqualification of Joost Klein.
Rounding out the top five at the books is “New Day Will Rise” by Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 attacks. Stats suggest that Raphael has around a 5% chance of winning this year, which will earn Israel its fourth Eurovision title.
Can the UK Win Eurovision 2025?
As with any song competition, surprises are always possible, and the UK are hoping that their country-pop trio Remember Monday with their song “What the Hell Just Happened?” could be the dark horse in this year’s Eurovision.
However, given the overwhelming support for Sweden, and with Austria and France also holding firm at the books, it will be a massive shock if the UK’s representatives are able to walk away with the coveted microphone trophy.
Despite their growing popularity on social media and slight shortening in price, at the time of writing, the UK are 13th in the odds according to most bookies, while some oddsmakers have them as low as 21st, priced at a whopping 151/1.
