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A total of 163 million people followed in 2024 the Eurovision final worldwide, according to the data provided by the organization, the European broadcasting Union. He achieved his highest audience quota (46.7%) since 2006. The great fact that he reaped between the public aged 15 to 24, with a 58.6% share, implies that the future of the festival is more than insured, and that its health status is excellent. Germany was the country that contributed the most spectators, with 8.1 million, followed by the United Kingdom with 7.7 million. Spectacular is the follow -up in the Nordic countries: in Iceland, practically all viewers saw that Saturday the festival, with a 96% share; In Sweden (where it was celebrated) it achieved 87.3%, in Norway 85.5%and in Finland, 83.1%. In Spain, the final of the final was 4,886,000 spectators (41.8%), which rose to 52.1% during the always exciting voting. Once again, it was the most sporty broadcast of the year.
What changes are there this year? Who participates? Who represents Spain and what options have? We review the basic information necessary to face the Eurovision final.
The first, what happened last year?
Maybe we ended up reviewing what did not happen last year. It was one of the most controversial editions that are remembered. The main thing: Switzerland won, that’s why this year is celebrated in Basel. His representative was Nemo, who demonstrated an amazing vocal dominance over a rotating platform. But before arriving there, they had disqualified the Netherlands, another favorites, for an alleged aggression from which he was finally acquitted, and there were several absence threats for Israel’s participation. In addition, a strict flag policy to avoid the presence of the Palestinian teaching caused only the flags of the participating countries and the two of the LGTBIQ+community. But the European Union was left out, which did not like anything in Brussels. And Spain? Nebrossa and his Bitch It was in the 22nd position 25. The good news is that it is easy for this year to improve the result.
Who compete in the final and when will Spain sing?
Of the 37 aspiring countries, 26 are the ones that will perform this Saturday on the stage of the St. Jakobshalle de Basilea stadium. 20 countries come from the two semifinals on Tuesday and Thursday, and they are added the five of the Big Five (Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy) and Switzerland as winner of last year, which automatically pass to the final. In the first semifinal Sweden, Norway, Albania, Iceland, Netherlands, Poland, San Marino, Estonia, Portugal and Ukraine were classified. In the second, Lithuania, Israel, Armenia, Denmark, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Latvia, Malta and Greece were added.
Spain will act in sixth place, after Lithuania and before Ukraine. The definitive action position is chosen by the producers of the contest so that there are not many songs in a row or significant rhythm dowers. In addition, some countries have been classified as producer’s choice, a mechanism that came into operation last year and allows festival producers to freely choose the position in which these countries will act with the intention of creating a more dynamic television show. The final order will be this: Norway, Luxembourg, Estonia, Israel, Lithuania, Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Austria, Iceland, Latvia, Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Poland, Germany, Greece, Armenia, Switzerland, Malta, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, France, San Marino and Albania.
Why don’t Russia compete, but Israel yes?
It is the question that Eurovision survives in the last two editions and that it was the origin of many controversies last year (this year it seems that the spirits have been calmed a little). The reasons why Israel do participate have never been very clear, although the politicization level of each public television (which are actually those that participate, not the countries themselves) are used at the time. Coincidentally, the main sponsor of Eurovision, Moroccanoil, is of Israeli origin.
The Israeli representative in Eurovision this year is Yuval Raphael. He assures that he has rehearsed his performance with noise and boos to prepare for what may happen live. The singer has told that she is a survivor of the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 and, although in Eurovision there are no political references in the lyrics, the song has veiled mentions to war. “A new day will dawn, life will continue. Everyone cries, does not cry alone. Darkness will fade, all the pain will happen. But we will remain even if you say goodbye.”
How is Melody the representative of Spain?
Yes, the melody of Gorilla dance. He won the Benidorm Fest 2025 with great public support (he was not the favorite of the professional jury) and has arrived with That diva Basel To Melodía Ruiz Gutiérrez, 34, born in Dos Hermanas, we have seen her grow and arrives at Eurovision in her second attempt to represent Spain at the festival. In Benidorm Fest they were in second position Daniela Blasco and Third, J Kbello. That diva It has varied a bit with respect to the version we saw in Benidorm to bring the issue closer to international tastes, but maintains a lot of Spanish essence in its staging, as could already be seen in the first semifinal, where Melody acted as an exhibition.
Is there no Eurodrama this year?
Perhaps the one that the festival is celebrated in the Swiss neutral has made the spirits more temperate this year. On this occasion, the public can pass with any flag that is considered legal in Swiss territory, including that of Palestine (which could already be seen in the auditorium in the first semifinal). Of course, participants will not be able to wear that teaching or the LGTBIQ+.
Tensions can come, again, for the participation of Israel, something against which some protests in Basel have been convened. In the first semifinal, the public television of the Belgian region of Flanders expressed its disagreement with the participation of Israel in Eurovision broadcasting a video in support of Palestine just before the gala began. “Israel has a vote in the song contest, the Palestinian people do not give them voice,” said the message. In April, RTVE asked for a letter to the general director of the UU to discuss Israel’s participation in the festival for “the concerns raised by various civil society groups in Spain.” More than 70 exparticipants in Eurovision, including the Spanish Blanca Paloma and the Portuguese Salvador Sobral, have signed a letter to request the expulsion of the country from the contest. Before their participation in the second semifinal, the Spanish commentators, Julia Varela and Tony Aguilar, remembered the more than 50,000 civil victims for the attacks in Gaza, according to data from the United Nations. Last year, the televoto gave Israel many points and this year his representative is among the favorites to win. If finally won, the Eurodrama would be served.
What countries are the favorites?
Looking for betting houses is a good thermometer to check what countries sound to be at the top. The winner does not always succeed, but he usually leaves those first positions. This year there is a clear favorite that has not moved at the top: Sweden. The Kaj trio (the initials of its three components) exceeded the first semifinal with the song Bara Bastu Bara. The Finnish-Swedish group is committed to humor in its subject, a tribute to the sauna. Austria is also well located with JJ, a contractor who looks like his vocal capacity in Wasted Lovewhich defines as opera-pop. A little further, but also with possibilities, they are France, with Louane and its Mamanand the Netherlands, with Claude Kmb, originally from the Congo and interprets C’est la Vie. Finland and Israel are the countries that close the top of candidates to win. And Spain? He has climbed positions and his place is varying at times, but it is around 14, with few real possibilities of reaching the top. But, eye, sometimes the betting houses are wrong: until a few days ago, Belgium was in fifth position, and yet it has not passed to the final.
Where and when to see the Eurovision final?
In Spain, the 1 retransmit the final on Saturday from 9:00 p.m. (Spanish peninsular time) and Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela will comment, as usual. As always, in the networks, both X and Bluesky, the creativity of the followers of a festival that is an inexhaustible source of memes, so it is recommended to see it stuck to the second screen. In the country we will also monitor live from the gala from several hours earlier to analyze and comment on everything you give.
How do you vote in Eurovision?
Participating countries can vote through the Eurovision app (up to 20 votes maximum per person, with a cost of 0.99 euros per vote), by telephone or by SMS. The country’s candidate cannot be supported from which the vote is issued. In the final, the public’s opinion tells 50% of the total score, the other 50% is the opinion of the professional jury of each country. In the semifinals, only the public has voted. Throughout the festival, the countries that do not compete in the contest have also been able to vote. They will do it through the website www.esc.vote (again, the cost is 0.99 euros each vote). The voting of all countries that do not participate in the festival are counted as if they were those of another country. Last year, according to the UER, votes were received from 156 countries. The United States, Canada, Romania, Mexico, Arab Emirates, Türkiye and South Africa were the ones who cast the most vote outside the festival participants in 2024.
As in previous years, at the end of the night, the votes that distribute the spokesmen of each country are only those of the professional jury. The entire televoto received by each candidacy is added and the presenters are announcing them starting with those who received the least votes from the professional jury.
In addition, the public at home can vote for their favorite throughout the final, and not only in the last section. In the final, it is understood that, having already seen all the actions in the semifinals, the public can already know who his favorite is. In the case of the rest of the world, they have almost 24 hours to vote before each gala starts, because the vote on the Internet opens for them immediately after the second general essay of each semifinal and the final ends. The web forces them to watch a video with a summary of the trials before they cast their votes.
Why does Spain go directly to the final?
There are five countries that jump directly to the final without having to qualify for the semifinals: France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Spain. They are known as the Big Five And they are not the founding countries as sometimes said (those were Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland, the participants of the first Eurovision in 1956, and was held precisely in Switzerland, in Lugano), but are the five countries that contribute the greatest economic contribution to the European Radiodice Union. The idea of this group emerged in 1996, when Germany was out of the final and its absence caused an important economic problem in the organization. Then it was decided that these countries have an insured place in the final so that Eurovision can always be held without problem.
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