One of the most exciting nights of the year is heading our way once again, as it is time for Eurovision! The great musical celebration arrives in May, with the participating nations battling it out for the coveted prize while punters head to the betting markets. Eurovision 2025 is being held in Basel, Switzerland, and the key dates to look out for are:
- First Semi-Final – Tuesday 13th May (21:00 CEST)
- Second Semi-Final – Thursday 15th May (21:00 CEST)
- Grand Final – Saturday 17th May (21:00 CEST)
How it works
31 of the 37 participating nations go into the semi-finals, and from there, the top 10 from each move forward to the Grand Final. Only public votes count for the semi-finals, the draw for which was made back in January.
The ‘Big 5’ broadcast nations – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK – all skip the semi-finals, a perk they get for making the largest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Hosts Switzerland also receive a bye to the Grand Final as they won last year’s Eurovision with Nemo, whose vibrant and multi-genre song ‘The Code’ beat favourite Baby Lasagna’s ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’.
Bambie Thug cranks it up for Ireland
Ireland cracked the top six last year as singer-songwriter Bambie Thug nailed the powerpunk avant-electro pop (aka ‘ouija-pop’) song ‘Doomsday Blue’, giving Ireland its best result in years.
It was certainly a long way from Dustin the Turkey, Ireland’s 2008 Eurovision entry with ‘Irelande Douze Pointe’. Not surprisingly, the puppet failed to make it past the first semi-final.
Ireland still holds the record for the most Eurovision victories, with the 1990s being a decade of power for the Emerald Isle. Ireland scored four wins and two runners-up spots in that glorious decade when big things were always expected of their entries.
Ireland’s Eurovision wins
- 1970: Dana – ‘All Kinds of Everything’
- 1980: Johnny Logan – ‘What’s Another Year?’
- 1987: Johnny Logan – ‘Hold Me Now’
- 1992: Linda Martin – ‘Why Me?’ (written by Johnny Logan)
- 1993: Niamh Kavanagh – ‘In Your Eyes’
- 1994: Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan – ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids’
- 1996: Eimear Quinn – ‘The Voice’
However, it has been almost three decades without Eurovision success, so will this be the year when Ireland breaks its barren streak?
This year we Laika Party! Can EMMY bring it home?
In 1957, the Soviets sent a dog to space to orbit around the Earth. Laika was the name of that stray dog who was put on Sputnik 2 as a test, subsequently becoming one of the first animals in space. Laika was never meant to come back home.
Ireland’s entry for Eurovision 2025 is ‘Laika Party’ by EMMY, and yes, it is about the eponymous space dog. After last year’s great dark goth vibe from Bambie Thug, ‘Laika Party’ delivers the polar opposite as it swings Ireland back to the traditional Eurovision fare of an upbeat, unashamedly pop song.
‘Laika Party’ is unique, though, because it has a melancholic theme wrapped up in a classic Euro-pop tune. It has a bouncing vibe, with EMMY’s instantly recognisable vocals busting out a likeable and catchy chorus – and, of course, there’s a cute dance to cap it off.
Fun fact: ‘Laika Party’ was written in Norway, which is where the artist is from. However, the song was submitted to Ireland’s national qualifying Eurosong 2025 competition and EMMY swept the board, claiming the jury vote and the televote.
Last 10 Eurovision winners
- 2014 – Austria, ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’ performed by Conchita Wurst
- 2015 – Sweden ‘Heroes’ performed by Måns Zelmerlöw
- 2016 – Ukraine, ‘1944’ performed by Jamala
- 2017 – Portugal, ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ performed by Salvador Sobral
- 2018 – Israel, ‘Toy’ performed by Netta
- 2019 – Netherlands, ‘Arcade’ performed by Duncan Laurence
- 2020 – Not held
- 2021 – Italy, ‘Zitti e Buoni’ performed by Måneskin
- 2022 – Ukraine, ‘Stefania’ performed by Kalush Orchestra
- 2023 – Sweden, ‘Tattoo’ performed by Loreen
- 2024 – Switzerland, ‘The Code’ performed by Nemo
Who are the Eurovision 2025 front runners?
While Irish Eurovision fans would like a party celebrating a win for the Emerald Isle this year, ‘Laika Party’ will have to defy some early odds to pull it off, as it’s running at around a quote of 100.0 to win. Defending champions Switzerland have Zoë Më with ‘Voyage’, a nice, but instantly forgettable song – so who is leading the way in the challenge for 2025’s top musical honour?
Sweden: KAJ – ‘Bara Bada Bastu’
Strangely catchy and certainly memorable, KAJ are a music/comedy trio featuring an accordion and a deep vocal delivery of some of the lyrics. The verses are more ‘talk-y’ than ‘sing-y’, but no one is going to forget the chorus as it is, not surprisingly, all very Nordic with an anthemic, chant-like tune.
‘Bara Bada Bastu’ is a big 2.0 favourite in Eurovision betting and Sweden has won twice in the last decade. The official video has dancing lumberjacks in the forest, yet the artists are in suits and the song’s about a sauna – how can it fail?
Austria: JJ – ‘Wasted Love’
Returning to some normality is Austria’s representative, JJ, with a gentle ballad. The artist sings in a unique high range, and there’s a big operatic crescendo, which is going to strike a chord with viewers. ‘Wasted Love’ is an early front runner at 5.0 odds. It’s different and quite powerful as Austria looks for its first score since Conchita Wurst’s 2014 success.
France: Louane – ‘maman’
Look out for France, who are represented by Louane singing ‘maman’. This is a song on a grand scale with a fantastic singer who has a powerful range. It’s a very solid entry from France, though arguably it lacks that traditional pop-catchiness.
Netherlands: Claude – ‘C’est La Vie’
The Netherlands have an interesting entry as they take a bit of the power ballad and mix it into the kind of pop you would expect to hear at Eurovision. So, that puts ‘C’est La Vie’ on the radar. It isn’t without a touch of Gloria Gaynor’s classic ‘I Will Survive’ when it gets fully pumped up.
Israel: Yuval Raphael – ‘New Day Will Rise’
Yuval Raphael pulls at the heartstrings in this song. Raphael sings in both Hebrew and English, and there’s a cool grittiness about his voice that wouldn’t be out of place in rock – and this is on the verge of being that. This touching power ballad is priced around 15.0 in the Eurovision odds.
Finland: Erika Vikman – ‘Ich Komme’
Finland has a good history of delivering punchy songs, and in this year’s entry, Erika Vikman dresses like a 90s rock singer and has quite the stage presence. There’s an element of synth running underneath the song, so it’s not full-out rock, which may increase her chances of getting votes.
Czechia: Adonxs – ‘Kiss Kiss Goodbye’
The Czech entry could also be on the radar, as it’s one of the more modern-sounding tracks in the running, a tune that wouldn’t be amiss on the radio on the drive to work, which is something that can’t be said about some of the others on this list.
UK: Remember Monday – ‘What the Hell Just Happened?’
The UK entry is a little different because, for the hook, the song slows down, yet at the same time it is still more powerful than the faster-paced pop-style verses. It’s a relatable, memorable song with good vocals.
Albania: Shkodra Elektronike – ‘Zjerm’
Albania has a haunting, powerfully catchy entry that could spring a surprise. It’s traditional sounding, with some cool spoken parts in the middle to break it up, and it’s all very moody. Overall, ‘Zjerm’ is a great entry that could sneak up the leaderboard from around 40.0 odds.
Follow the Eurovision odds with Tonybet
The build-up to this year’s exciting Eurovision 2025 action is on! Will red-hot favourites Sweden sweep the board? Will ‘Laika Party’ do better than expected on the night for Ireland? Check out the latest Eurovision odds at Tonybet.
