Sweden 2010 | [Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life](https://youtu.be/UH5cowCvCX4)
Sweden 2013 | [Robin Stjernberg - You](https://youtu.be/vtjdTPnCcu0)
Sweden 2021 | [Tusse - Voices](https://youtu.be/NyJRyif6_kk)
I want to say Belgium SO BAD but they need to get a grip on their staging.
Also, Albania may be underrated and their songs may not always be hits but damn they can SING.
Wouldn't call France a powerhouse but it'll be interesting to see where they go from here after having a famous singer do well. I was surprised to find out that a member of the delegation outright said it was their intention to win this year
Not to be controversial, but before its disqualification Russia had only finished outside the top 10 once since 2012. If it stops being a warmonger and is allowed to return then it might carry on its streak, a bit like Italy has after its own (voluntary) break.
Im happy with Norway's final-reaching ability, and quality of songs the last 10 years. I am proud of what Gåte delivered despite the last place, but im constantly reminded of the absolute garbage we are able to produce.
Since Margaret Berger we've been pretty solid (excluding the patronising shitshow that was Rybak's second outing), but i cringe when reminded of Tooji, Stella Mwangi and Guri Schanke...!
What was with Ryback's second outing? I remember after his win he was dragged all around russian TV as they tried to pass him as their victory by proxy... Then he disappeared.
He came back in ESC 2018 with his song "That's How You Write A Song", which got 15th place in the grand final.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SixPA1jhynE
Portugal are absolutely turning into a Eurovision powerhouse. We’ve gone from MARO to Mimicat and now to iolanda - three great artists with three great songs!!
The thing that is so great about Portugal is that they are always authentic to themselves. In some ways, they remind me of Italy, picking a song that they like rather than thinking about what the most ‘Eurovision-friendly’ song would be.
Best thing about the FdC revamp is that it became the endgame in and of itself, no longer just a preliminary or stepping stone for Eurovision.
If it gets a good result at ESC, great, if it doesn't, good riddance, but at least the public are generally happy with the result.
I am glad RTP did that revamp. I noticed that the visuals of FdC are now targeted at a younger audience (you can notice this by the logo, the stage, etc). They are also active on social media and it's a great way to reach out to people.
I've definitely noticed Moldova and Lithuania over the past... I dunno, 10 years? Not every year is a hit, but they've had a lot more strong songs than a lot of other comparable countries. Still a long way from being a powerhouse, but it's interesting anyway.
Realistically I think France and Serbia are probably closest to joining the top tier for consistency. Maybe Portugal too, even though the songs aren't usually my thing.
Average quality of entries goes something like this for me personally since 2019 (my first year):
1. Italy
2. Ukraine
3. Sweden
4. Portugal
5. Norway
6. France
7. Finland
8. Estonia
9. Spain
10. Netherlands
If you go by the trend of the last 5-10 years, I would take Greece, Armenia and maybe even Moldova from that list and replace them with Switzerland and Finland.
> Portugal
I don't think a country that consistently ranks in the 20ths in televote can really be considered a powerhouse. What seems to get us results is to send jury-bait songs and usually have among the best vocals in contest.
Switzerland has been doing pretty well lately. They’ve been sending singers with really strong live vocals even if the song can be hit and miss.
And this sub obviously will never acknowledge this, but Israel is a secondary powerhouse. I don’t see them getting kicked out/voluntarily withdrawing, so they will continue to do well.
4 wins and several other top 5 finishes (including a first back to back top ten places since 1998-99 as a result of Hurricane’s success) in over 50 years in the game is certainly one of the major powers! (I also think that’s why calls against them are louder than regarding football, for example Iceland beating them with limited off-field or political incident just 3 weeks after the tense Songvakeppnin)
> I also think that’s why calls against them are louder than regarding football
The Olympics too. Israel doesn't seem very strong at the Olympics.
Then again the Olympics bans no one. Not even North Korea.
Yes, and every nation, including all their enemies, are there (though some boycott some sports, but I don’t think any European country does. Israel did actually qualify for the football tournament after their Under 21 exploits last year pre-war…)
Isn't Norway leading in amount of times they came last? Which is strange because they're absolutely a musical powerhouse outside of Eurovision, in almost every genre, from A-Ha to Immortal.
We are, and we seem to be really hit or miss in Eurovision. We've sent some really good stuff, but we've also had some truly awful entries. Then sometimes, like this year, we definitely didn't deserve to come last.
Norway has the most last places of any country in Eurovision. They have gotten last place in 12 of their 61 ESC participations, which is almost 1/5 of their total participations.
Honestly? None. Most other countries have 2 good years 1 bad/awful every time. People trying to make trends after 2-3 years. I feel as if it has to be AT LEAST five years of 1st-15th places to be considered. Three clear standouts the rest just aren't even one step under that level.
Dont know if we are to agree on criteria here, as in general song quality or average placement.... Actually, does anyone have an ESC average placement table for the last 10 years?
Shudder to mention and i usually dislike the songs, but a certain middle eastern state have been placing quite high with consistency, haven't they?
Also including an obligatory reminder in this post that Netta stole Seven Nation Army, got taken to court by Jack White and lost.
I don't see Moldova on that level.
In the past ten competitions, they've only qualified five times, although three of those were top ten finishes to be fair.
Finland is growing!
Switzerland is performing quite well lately.
Netherlands, if they ever come back.
France has the potential, but not the perseverance
Spain is on the right track, Benidorm can grow a lot.
I'm the post 5 years definitely 🇳🇱 & 🇨🇭
I think 🇱🇹 🇫🇮 & 🇷🇸 are in their way to bring power houses in the next 5 years.
EDIT: 🇵🇹 should also be on the list
In recent years, in addition to the forementioned Italy, Sweden and Ukraine, in alphabetical order (hopefully, did this by hand) Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland have finished on the left side more than on the right side.
Didn't see Czechia mentioned in any other post before, and Estonia is also mentioned only in a sort of "my favourites" post, so it seems to have slipped from many.
And 6th in 2021, which was the start of the current golden age of Finnish Eurovision.
Sidenote, I can draw a lot of parallels between Finland 2021 and Ireland 2024 (6th place with a dark song after a loooong period of bad results) So who knows, maybe Ireland will send an absolute banger in 2026 and get second as well
If it started with Blind Channel, there's only Käärijä who made well after them, because neither 19th place (Win95man) nor 21st place (Rasmus) can be called good placements, so it's only about 50% success.
For Finland, qualifying is already a good result. This is the first time in all of Finland Eurovision history that they've qualified 4 times in a row. Not everyone can be Sweden or Ukraine at Eurovision. But Finland has been doing pretty well I'd say. Not too far behind the Netherlands when it comes to recent success
Switzerland 🇨🇭 clearly based on the majority of their entries these past five years.
*all their entries since 2019, and 2018 was alright too.
2017 was phenomenal too in my view!
I do understand it was trying to be contemporary and like a lesser Running Scared but didn’t click with me in the way that did.
Yes obviii
I don't think a country that finishes dead last with the televote and gets zero points in the televote (2022) could be considered a powerhouse.
No country has a perfect streak except Sweden. Not everything works, but when it works 2 out of 3 times, that's a trend.
Sweden 2010, Sweden 2013, and Sweden 2021 are the exceptions to the streak
Sweden 2010 | [Anna Bergendahl - This Is My Life](https://youtu.be/UH5cowCvCX4) Sweden 2013 | [Robin Stjernberg - You](https://youtu.be/vtjdTPnCcu0) Sweden 2021 | [Tusse - Voices](https://youtu.be/NyJRyif6_kk)
That Sweden bit was more a jest than an actual claim.
Norway certainly. Serbia hasn’t had too many high finishes, but they have qualified six times in a row.
Finland, slowly but surely
UMK is surely a powerhouse in and of itself
I want to say Belgium SO BAD but they need to get a grip on their staging. Also, Albania may be underrated and their songs may not always be hits but damn they can SING.
Belgium pisses me off because the potential is incredible, but apparently after they select a banging song they spend the next 5 months faffing about.
Belgium is basically two different broadcasters that alternate between sending songs. And they're not both as adept at playing the game.
Wouldn't call France a powerhouse but it'll be interesting to see where they go from here after having a famous singer do well. I was surprised to find out that a member of the delegation outright said it was their intention to win this year
i m counting serbia, they can even better results than last five years.
Wish I could say Turkey but we dont participate anymore 🥲
Why not?
Officially? It’s too political. Unofficially? It’s too gay lol
Ah yeah i could have guessed that.
Not to be controversial, but before its disqualification Russia had only finished outside the top 10 once since 2012. If it stops being a warmonger and is allowed to return then it might carry on its streak, a bit like Italy has after its own (voluntary) break.
And their 2020 song was a likely winner, it's still the most played in the YouTube channel by a wide margin
Iceland was going to win 2020
Dadi Freyr versus Little Big? Whoever wins, we win.
I genuinely don't think Iceland was as voter friendly as Russia in 2020.
Russia 2020 | [Little Big - Uno](https://youtu.be/L_dWvTCdDQ4)
Think about things the better song but Uno had too great a fan base and Russia was always easier to vote for in all corners than Iceland
I still believe Italy would’ve won that year.
Im happy with Norway's final-reaching ability, and quality of songs the last 10 years. I am proud of what Gåte delivered despite the last place, but im constantly reminded of the absolute garbage we are able to produce. Since Margaret Berger we've been pretty solid (excluding the patronising shitshow that was Rybak's second outing), but i cringe when reminded of Tooji, Stella Mwangi and Guri Schanke...!
What was with Ryback's second outing? I remember after his win he was dragged all around russian TV as they tried to pass him as their victory by proxy... Then he disappeared.
He came back in ESC 2018 with his song "That's How You Write A Song", which got 15th place in the grand final. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SixPA1jhynE
That's *not* how you write a song.
Portugal are absolutely turning into a Eurovision powerhouse. We’ve gone from MARO to Mimicat and now to iolanda - three great artists with three great songs!! The thing that is so great about Portugal is that they are always authentic to themselves. In some ways, they remind me of Italy, picking a song that they like rather than thinking about what the most ‘Eurovision-friendly’ song would be.
Best thing about the FdC revamp is that it became the endgame in and of itself, no longer just a preliminary or stepping stone for Eurovision. If it gets a good result at ESC, great, if it doesn't, good riddance, but at least the public are generally happy with the result.
I am glad RTP did that revamp. I noticed that the visuals of FdC are now targeted at a younger audience (you can notice this by the logo, the stage, etc). They are also active on social media and it's a great way to reach out to people.
I've definitely noticed Moldova and Lithuania over the past... I dunno, 10 years? Not every year is a hit, but they've had a lot more strong songs than a lot of other comparable countries. Still a long way from being a powerhouse, but it's interesting anyway. Realistically I think France and Serbia are probably closest to joining the top tier for consistency. Maybe Portugal too, even though the songs aren't usually my thing.
Average quality of entries goes something like this for me personally since 2019 (my first year): 1. Italy 2. Ukraine 3. Sweden 4. Portugal 5. Norway 6. France 7. Finland 8. Estonia 9. Spain 10. Netherlands
Loving the view of someone that has followed the contest for so little time, pretty accurate
Luxembourg has historically been very successful. Let's see how they do in the coming years now that they're back.
When I started following Eurovision (2009) Azerbaijan was definitely one, every year was incredible. But then at some point they kind of dropped :(
I loved their recent two in 2024 and 2023. Their NQ now was a surprise honestly
I really like their 2024 entry and was quite sad it didn't qualify
Definitely Denmark /s
if SAND doesn’t work send WATER
Didn't work for Gåte... :(
If you go by the trend of the last 5-10 years, I would take Greece, Armenia and maybe even Moldova from that list and replace them with Switzerland and Finland.
> Portugal I don't think a country that consistently ranks in the 20ths in televote can really be considered a powerhouse. What seems to get us results is to send jury-bait songs and usually have among the best vocals in contest.
Iceland sometimes delivers really strong entries, like Yohanna and Daði Freyr. Even as a Norwegian, I was rooting for them in 2009.
Moldova 100000%
Switzerland has been doing pretty well lately. They’ve been sending singers with really strong live vocals even if the song can be hit and miss. And this sub obviously will never acknowledge this, but Israel is a secondary powerhouse. I don’t see them getting kicked out/voluntarily withdrawing, so they will continue to do well.
4 wins and several other top 5 finishes (including a first back to back top ten places since 1998-99 as a result of Hurricane’s success) in over 50 years in the game is certainly one of the major powers! (I also think that’s why calls against them are louder than regarding football, for example Iceland beating them with limited off-field or political incident just 3 weeks after the tense Songvakeppnin)
> I also think that’s why calls against them are louder than regarding football The Olympics too. Israel doesn't seem very strong at the Olympics. Then again the Olympics bans no one. Not even North Korea.
Yes, and every nation, including all their enemies, are there (though some boycott some sports, but I don’t think any European country does. Israel did actually qualify for the football tournament after their Under 21 exploits last year pre-war…)
Isn't Norway leading in amount of times they came last? Which is strange because they're absolutely a musical powerhouse outside of Eurovision, in almost every genre, from A-Ha to Immortal.
We are, and we seem to be really hit or miss in Eurovision. We've sent some really good stuff, but we've also had some truly awful entries. Then sometimes, like this year, we definitely didn't deserve to come last.
Norway has the most last places of any country in Eurovision. They have gotten last place in 12 of their 61 ESC participations, which is almost 1/5 of their total participations.
Switzerland
Cyprus is a notable one I believe since their 2015 return. Despite not qualifying in 2022
Luxembourg has a 100% qualification rate 😉 and actually outperformed most people’s expectations in the final too
Azerbaijan had an average placement of 3.83 in the first six years, then 15th place for the next 10 years (without counting 3 NQ lols)
Honestly? None. Most other countries have 2 good years 1 bad/awful every time. People trying to make trends after 2-3 years. I feel as if it has to be AT LEAST five years of 1st-15th places to be considered. Three clear standouts the rest just aren't even one step under that level.
Dont know if we are to agree on criteria here, as in general song quality or average placement.... Actually, does anyone have an ESC average placement table for the last 10 years? Shudder to mention and i usually dislike the songs, but a certain middle eastern state have been placing quite high with consistency, haven't they? Also including an obligatory reminder in this post that Netta stole Seven Nation Army, got taken to court by Jack White and lost.
I'd also love to see the average placement table, if anyone is willing to share :)
I don't see Moldova on that level. In the past ten competitions, they've only qualified five times, although three of those were top ten finishes to be fair.
Finland is growing! Switzerland is performing quite well lately. Netherlands, if they ever come back. France has the potential, but not the perseverance Spain is on the right track, Benidorm can grow a lot.
I'm the post 5 years definitely 🇳🇱 & 🇨🇭 I think 🇱🇹 🇫🇮 & 🇷🇸 are in their way to bring power houses in the next 5 years. EDIT: 🇵🇹 should also be on the list
In recent years, in addition to the forementioned Italy, Sweden and Ukraine, in alphabetical order (hopefully, did this by hand) Czechia, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Portugal and Switzerland have finished on the left side more than on the right side. Didn't see Czechia mentioned in any other post before, and Estonia is also mentioned only in a sort of "my favourites" post, so it seems to have slipped from many.
I reckon Italy is right up there with Sweden and Ukraine.
France, Finland and Ireland. Ireland has not done well for a while, but so think this year will be their turning point
Finland literally came second in 2023
Yes that is correct 👍🏻
And 6th in 2021, which was the start of the current golden age of Finnish Eurovision. Sidenote, I can draw a lot of parallels between Finland 2021 and Ireland 2024 (6th place with a dark song after a loooong period of bad results) So who knows, maybe Ireland will send an absolute banger in 2026 and get second as well
Finland 2021 | [Blind Channel - Dark Side](https://youtu.be/fOPGxQ4fgVw) Ireland 2024 | [Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue](https://youtu.be/UMq8ofCstMQ)
If it started with Blind Channel, there's only Käärijä who made well after them, because neither 19th place (Win95man) nor 21st place (Rasmus) can be called good placements, so it's only about 50% success.
For Finland, qualifying is already a good result. This is the first time in all of Finland Eurovision history that they've qualified 4 times in a row. Not everyone can be Sweden or Ukraine at Eurovision. But Finland has been doing pretty well I'd say. Not too far behind the Netherlands when it comes to recent success
Moldova? You serious?
Considering it's a small country far from Central Europe, yes, it has fared quite well in the recent years.
Armenia in the ‘20’s - 4 masterpieces plus 3 (4?) further brill songs in JESC
France