The Eurovision 2022 final takes place on Saturday night, with Sam Ryder hoping to reverse the UK’s recent dismal record in the Song Contest with his track “Space Man”.
However, despite being fancied by the bookies, he faces something of an uphill battle to edge out Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, who are overhelming favourites.
Whoever takes the crown will become part of a rich lineage of Eurovision winners, as well as (potentially) earning their country the right to host next year’s event.
How many times has the UK won Eurovision?
The UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest on five occasions, with Katrina and The Waves delivering the last triumph in 1997 with “Love Shine a Light”.
Britain’s first taste of success came in 1967, when Sandie Shaw won with “Puppet on a String”, which topped the charts for three weeks.
This was followed by Lulu in 1969, who shared the honours with acts from the France, Netherlands and Spain in a four-way tie.
Brotherhood of Man then triumphed in 1976 with “Save Your Kisses For Me,” before Bucks Fizz delivered arguably the UK’s most famous win with “Makin’ Your Mind Up,” the band’s debut single.
The full list of Eurovision Song Contest winners
1956 – Lys Assia, Switzerland
Lys Assia became the first ever Eurovision winner after singing ‘Refrain’. At the time, only seven countries particpated in the competition; Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Luxermbourg.
1957 – Corry Brokken, Netherlands
Corry Brokken triumped for her country with ‘Net Als Toen’ (Just Like Then). This was the first of four wins for the Netherlands.
1958 – André Claveau, France
André Claveau became the first male soloist to win the competition after singing ‘Dors, Mon Amour’ (Sleep, My Love).
1959 – Teddy Scholten, Netherlands
Teddy Scholten’s win marked the second for the Netherlands in the competition’s opening four years. She sung ‘N Beetje’ (A Little Bit).
1960 – Jacqueline Boyer, France
Jacqueline Boyer sung the winning song ‘Tom Pillibi’ and while it was performed in French, she also later recorded a version in German.
1961 – Jean-Claude Pascal, Luxembourg
Jean-Claude Pascal made a name for himself after performing ‘Nous Les Amoureux’ (Us Lovers).
1962 – Isabelle Aubret, France
Isabelle Aubret’s ‘Un Premier Amour’ (First Love) secured France’s third Eurovision victory. It would not win another until seven years later.
1963 – Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann, Denmark
Grethe and Jørgen Ingmann became the first duo to win the competition after performing ‘Dansevise’ (Dance Song).
1964 – Gigliola Cinquetti, Italy
Gigliola Cinquetti is one of the youngest ever Eurovision winners claiming the title when she was just 16, ironically, with ‘Non Ho L’età’ (I’m Not Old Enough).
1965 – France Gall, Luxembourg
France Gail’s ‘Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son’ (Doll of Wax, Doll of Sawdust) was the first winning song that was not considered a ballad.
1966 – Udo Jürgens, Austria
Udo Jürgens sang ‘Merci, Chérie’ (Thank You, Darling”) to secure the top spot – a first for Austria.
1967 – Sandie Shaw, UK
Sandie Shaw was the UK’s first Eurovision champion after performing ‘Puppet on a String’. The single became a number one hit in the charts shortly after and remained there for three weeks.
1968 – Massiel, Spain
Massiel’s ‘La La La’ became the first of Spain’s two Eurovision wins, which she later recorded in Spanish, Italian, German and English.
1969 – Frida Boccara, Lennie Kuhr, Lulu and Salomé, France, Netherlands, UK and Spain
The end of the 60s proved a first for the singing competition with four acts being crowned winners – including the UK’s Lulu.
She, Frida Boccara, Lennie Kuhr and Salomé found themselves in tied first place and as no provisions had been put in place in the event of a tie-break, they were named winners.
Lulu sang ‘Boom Bang-a-Bang’ while Frida Boccara performed Un Jour, Un Enfant’ (A Day, A Child), Lennie Kuhr ‘De Troubadour’ (The ‘Troubadour’) and Salomé ‘Vivo Cantando’ (I Live Singing).
1970 – Dana, Ireland
Dana became the first ever Irish Eurovision winner but was not the last. She sang ‘All Kinds of Everything’ which went on to become a worldwide hit.
1971 – Séverine, Monaco
Séverine clinched Monaco’s first Eurovision victory with ‘Un Banc, Un Arbe, Une Rue’ (A Bench, A Tree, A Road). She received six full marks of 10 points (now 12) for her performance.
1972 – Vicky Leandros, Luxembourg
Vicky Leandro’s ‘Apres Toi’ (After You) marked Luxembourd’s third competition win.
1973 – Anne-Marie David, Luxembourg
Luxembourg managed to impress the nations the following year after Anne-Marie David performed ‘Tu Te Reconnaîtras’ (You’ll Recognise Yourself). She was on of the few contestants to return to the competition in later years.
1974 – ABBA, Sweden
ABBA, arguably one of the most successful groups of Eurovision, found their feet with ‘Waterloo’. The single soared to number one in several countries, including the UK.
1975 – Teach-In, Netherlands
‘Ding-a-Dong ‘ by Teach-In was the Netherlands’ last triumph to date until Duncan Lawrence’s victory in 2019.
1976 – Brotherhood of Man, UK
Brotherhood of Man became the UK’s third win with ‘Save Your Kisses for Me’. The performance received the maximum 12 points from seven countries giving the band a 17-lead from the first runner up.
1977 – Marie Myriam, France
Maria Myriam’s ‘L’oiseau et l’enfant’ (The Bird and the Child) was the final song to be performed on the competition night proving the best things often come last.
1978 – Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta, Israel
Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta’s ‘A-Ba-Ni-Bi’ win saw the competition being taken out of Europe for the first time as it’s customary the winning country hosts the following year.
1979 – Gali Atari and Milk and Honey, Israel
Gali Atari and Milk and Honey’s ‘Hallelujah’ is considered a competition classic by some.
1980 – Ireland, Johnny Logan
Ireland’s Johnny Logan entered – and won – Eurovision not once but twice. ‘What’s Another Year’ marked the first win and went on to become a UK number one.
1981 – Bucks Fizz, UK
Bucks Fizz bagged the third triumph for the UK with their performance of ‘Makin Your Mind Up’. It was the band’s debut single, having formed just months earlier.
1982 – Nicole, Germany
Nicole sang ‘Ein Bißchen Frieden’ (A Little Peace) to secure Germany’s first Eurovision, and managed the success with a record margin at the time of 61.
1983 – Corinne Hermès, Luxembourg
Corinne Hermès ‘Si la Vie est Cadeau’ (If Like is a Gift) was the fifth and last win for Luxembourg to date.
1984 – Herreys, Sweden
Herreys had big boots to fill following Sweden’s success story. ‘Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley’ impressed Eurovision fans and managed to reach number two in the Swedish charts.
1985 – Boddysocks!, Norway
Norway’s first victory was secured by group Boddysocks! with ‘La Det Swinge’ (Let it Swing) and managed to edge in charts across Europe.
1986 – Sandra Kim, Belgium
Sandra Kim won Belgium’s first and only title with ‘J’aime la Vie’ (I Love Life).
1987 – Johnny Logan, Ireland
Johnny Logan brought back the title for his second – and Ireland’s third – time with ‘Hold Me Now’.
1988 – Céline Dion, Switzerland
The iconic Céline Dion stole the show with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me) and used the success to launch her international career.
1989 – Riva, Yugoslavia
Riva’s ‘Rock Me’ was the last winner of the 80s and was the first and last time ‘Yugoslavia’ competed.
1990 – Toto Cutugno, Italy
Italy’s second triumph came from Toto Cutugno who sang ‘Insieme: 1992’ (Together: 1992).
1991 – Carola, Sweden
Sweden scored top marks yet again thanks to Carola with ‘Fångad av en Stormvind’ (Captured by a Storm Wind) – although the winning margin was the smallest since 1969.
1992 – Linda Martin, Ireland
Linda Martin secured yet another win, and the first in a string, to come. She performed ‘Why Me?’ which was composed by two-time winner Johnny Logan.
1993 – Niamh Kavanagh, Ireland
Niamh Kavanagh continued Ireland’s winning streak winning with ballad ‘In Your Eyes’.
1994 – Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan, Ireland
Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan made it three in a row for Ireland with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Kids’ and was the first year a male duo had won.
1995 – Secret Garden, Norway
‘Nocturne’ by Secret Garden was the second win for Norway and for composer Rolf Løvland – who worked withg Norway’s previous winners.
1996 – Eimear Quinn, Ireland
Ireland reclaimed its crown with Eimear Quinn’s ‘The Voice’ marking four wins with five years.
1997 – Katrina & The Waves, UK
Katrina & The Waves became the UK’s fifth and final winner to date with ‘Love Shine a Light’. The performance was awarded the maximum points by 10 nations totalling at 227 of a possible 288.
1998 – Dana International, Israel
Dana’s ‘Diva’ was the winning song of 1998 and of the last to date that was in a language other than English.
1999 – Charlotte Nilsson, Sweden
‘Take Me To Your Heaven’ by Charlotte Nillson added yet another win to Sweden’s steadily growing successes, and was performed in English as the requirement to perform in the national language had been removed.
2000 – Olsen Brothers, Denmark
Kicking of the noughties was the Olsen Brothers with ‘Fly on the Wings of Love’. Despite not being expected to score highly because of it’s traditional theme and ages of performers, the group did Denmark proud.
2001 – Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL, Estonia
Estonia’s only champions Tanel Padar and Dave Benton had a helping hand from hip-hop duo 2XL to win the country’s only Eurovision.
2002 – Marie N, Latvia
Marie N made a name for himself at Eurovision after performing ‘I Wanna’.
2003 – Sertab Erener, Turkey
‘Everyway That I Can’ is the winning song from Sertab Erener and was the first win for Turkey since it began parkating in the competiion in 1975.
2004 – Ruslana, Ukraine
Ukraine’s first victory came from Ruslana with ‘Wild Dances’ which was used as part of the soundtrack Grand Theft Auto IV in 2008.
2005 – Helena Paparizou, Greece
Helena Paparizou took the number one spot for her country for the first time with ‘My Number One’.
2006 – Lordi, Finland
Lordi was the first heavy metal band to win the Eurovision with ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’.
2007 – Marija Šerifović, Serbia
In what was Serbia’s debut in the competition, Marija Šerifović managed to return home a champion after her performance of ‘Molitva’ (Prayer).
2008 – Dima Bilan, Russia
Dima Bilan did it for the country with ‘Believe’ during which Russian Olympic gold medalist figure skater Evgeni Plushenko took to the ice as part of the performance.
2009 – Alexander Rybak, Norway
Alexander was awarded a whopping 387 out of a possible 492 points for ‘Fairytale’.
2010 – Lena, Germany
Lena won the maximum 12 points nine times and received points from all but five countries for ‘Satellite’.
2011 – Ell & Nikki, Azerbaijan
Pop duo Ell & Nikki’s ‘Running Scared’ won nations over in 2011. The singers actually took part in the national selection as separate artists, however when hopefuls were whittled down to the final five, they were put together.
2012 – Loreen, Sweden
Loreen secured yet another victory for Sweden with club classic ‘Euphoria’. It received acclaim from critics and was certified 10 times Platinum.
2013 – Emmelie de Forest, Denmark
Eurovision showcased another anthem when Emmelie de Forest performed ‘Only Teardrops’. The song is one of the most downloaded Eurovision song in the UK.
2014 – Conchita Wurst, Austria
‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ was the winning song from Conchita Wurst who became a a global figurehead in the LGBT community after the victory.
2015 – Måns Zelmerlöw, Sweden
Zelmerlöw performed ‘Heroes’ and scored 288 points, giving him the highest score of the night. The song went on be the third-highest-scoring song in the history of the contest.
2016 – Jamala, Ukraine
Song ‘1944’ was thought to have been centred on the deportation of the Crimean Tatars, with Jamala dedicating the performance to her great-grandmother. It faced some accusations of being politicised, but the European Broadcasting Union confirmed it had not breached any rules.
2017 – Salvador Sobral, Portugal
Salvador Sobral earned Portugal its first ever victory since it joined the competition in 1964. ‘Amar Pelos Dois’ (Love For Both).
2018 – Netta, Israel
‘Toy’ by Netta won with with 529 points reached the top of the charts in Israel. It marked the fourth win for the country who is hosting this year’s Eurovision.
2019 – Duncan Laurence, Netherlands
Duncan Laurence won the 2019 Eurovision song contest with “Arcade”, taking a total of 498 points to defeat Italy and Russia.
2021 – Måneskin, Italy
After the 2020 Song Contest was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Italian four-piece rock band Måneskin triumphed in Rotterdam.
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Which countries are in the 2022 Eurovision final?
Here is the full running order for Saturday night’s final:
- Czech Republic(We Are Domi – “Lights Off)
- Romania(WRS – “Llàmame”)
- Portugal(Maro – “Saudade, saudade”)
- Finland(The Rasmus – “Jezebel”)
- Switzerland(Marius Bear – “Boys Do Cry”)
- France(Alvan & Ahez – “Fulenn”)
- Norway(Subwoolfer – “Give That Wolf a Banana”)
- Armenia(Rosa Linn – “Snap”)
- Italy(Mahmood & Blanco – “Brividi”)
- Spain(Chanel – “SloMo”)
- Netherlands(S10 – “De Diepte”)
- Ukraine(Kalush Orchestra – “Stefania”)
- Germany(Malik Harris – “Rockstars”)
- Lithuania(Monika Liu – “Sentimentai”)
- Azerbaijan(Nadir Rustamli – “Fade to Black”)
- Belgium(Jérémie Makiese – “Miss You”)
- Greece(Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord – “Die Together”)
- Iceland(Systur – “Með hækkandi sól”)
- Moldova(Zdob şi Zdub & Advahov Brothers – “Trenuleţul”)
- Sweden(Cornelia Jakobs – “Hold Me Closer”)
- Australia(Sheldon Riley – “Not the Same”)
- United Kingdom(Sam Ryder – “Space Man”)
- Poland(Ochman – “River”)
- Serbia(Konstrakta – “In Corpore Sano”)
- Estonia(Stefan – “Hope”)
The UK automatically qualifies for the final of Eurovision because it is one of the song contest’s “big five” nations, alongside Italy, Germany, France and Spain.
These countries bypass the semi-final stage alongside the host nation’s act, although after Italy’s triumph last year there is no extra automatic slot.
FAQs
Who has won Eurovision 2022? ›
Kalush Orchestra have won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine with their song 'Stefania'!
Who came 7th in Eurovision 2021? ›Being considered by bookmakers as a favourite to win the contest, Malta placed seventh in the final at the end of the show, scoring 255 points: 47 points from the televoting and 208 points from the juries.
Who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Country? ›The winner was Italy with the song "Zitti e buoni", performed by Måneskin and written by the band's members Damiano David, Ethan Torchio, Thomas Raggi and Victoria De Angelis. This made Italy the second member of the "Big Five" to win the contest since its establishment, following Germany's victory in 2010.
Who was 2nd in Eurovision 2022? ›The United Kingdom placed second in the final, behind eventual winners Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine. Ryder received a total of 466 points, finishing in first place with the juries and fifth place with the public: 183 points from the televoting and 283 points from the juries.
Who came 2nd in Eurovision? ›The UK actually came second in Eurovision." Richard Butler on Twitter posted: "Fun fact: Sam Ryder got more points tonight than the last ELEVEN UK entries COMBINED #Eurovision." Another account posted: "From nul points to #2, UK so proud of Sam Ryder.
Who were the top 5 in Eurovision? ›These countries are France, Germany, Spain, the UK, and Italy. The 'Big Five' (formerly 'Big Four') are the group of countries who make the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Who won Eurovision most times? ›With 7 victories, Ireland is the most successful country at the contest. Sweden won the contest 6 times, while Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom won 5 times.
Did Ukraine win Eurovision? ›Ukraine has won the 66th Eurovision song contest, which was held on Saturday evening in Turin in Italy. Riding a tidal wave of support from the telephone-voting European public, Stefania by Kalush Orchestra finished first after strong showings by the United Kingdom, Spain and Sweden in the early voting.
Who Won Second Semi Final Eurovision 2021? ›Place | Country | Pts |
---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 291 |
2 | Iceland | 288 |
3 | Bulgaria | 250 |
4 | Portugal | 239 |
In each show, after all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12) to their favourite songs; one set is given by a jury of five music industry professionals from that country, and one set given by viewers watching the show in country.
What number is Malta in Eurovision? ›
Malta finished 16th at Eurovision 2022 Semi-final 2 with 47 points.
Who didnt qualify for Eurovision 2022? ›Ireland has failed to qualify for the 2022 Eurovision final, in another disappointing year for a country with a rich heritage at the song contest.
Did Italy win Eurovision? ›The Italians struck gold in 2021 with alt-rock band Måneskin. Their self-penned track Zitti E Buoni (English translation: 'Shut Up and Behave') won the Eurovision Song Contest and became a global streaming hit, along with their follow-up song I Wanna Be Your Slave.
Did UK ever win Eurovision? ›The United Kingdom made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. To date, the UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest 5 times. The UK has also finished second a record 15 times and also has the record for the longest-running string of Top 5 placings.
Why is Australia in Eurovision? ›Australia definitely isn't in Europe - however, in 2015, singers from the other side of the world were welcomed to take part in Eurovision. Australia was invited to get involved as a gesture of goodwill for the show's 60th anniversary, which had a 'Building Bridges' theme.
How many times has Italy won Eurovision? ›Italy has won the contest three times, along with an additional 15 top-five finishes. Italy hosted the contest in Naples (1965), Rome (1991) and Turin (2022). In 1958, Domenico Modugno finished third with the song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu".
Why did Germany come last in Eurovision? ›Notably, Germany got 0 points from televoting in both the 2019 and the 2021 contests, and 0 points from the jury vote in the 2022 contest. This analysis uses scores and rankings as a proxy for the quality of Germany's Eurovision entries, but this is different than directly measuring the quality of each song.
Who came 4th in Eurovision 2022? ›All participating countries compete in one of the two semi-finals, except for the host country of that year's contest and the contest's biggest financial contributors known as the "Big Five"—France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Who is the Favourite for Eurovision 2022? ›Odds are in favour of Kalush Orchestra, Ukraine's entry for 2022, as the current favourite, according to Betfair.
Who has never won the Eurovision? ›
Lithuania is the only member of the 'Baltic Trinity' to have never won. You might say that's because they once sent a song titled "We Are The Winners"... but that's actually their only Top 10 entry so far. Is 2017 their year? No.
Which country is best at Eurovision? ›Ireland. Many don't realise it, but Ireland have won the Eurovision Song Contest an impressive 7 times!
How much do Eurovision winners get? ›According to Eurovision themselves, 'The winner will perform once again, and take home the iconic glass microphone trophy. 'The winning country will traditionally be given the honour of hosting the next Eurovision Song Contest. '
Why is Israel in Eurovision? ›The Israel Broadcasting Authority was in the EBU, so Israel was on the show – and won in 1978 (with the very Eurovision song title A-Ba-N-Bi) and 1979.
Who has the best Eurovision song 2022? ›The United Kingdom made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. To date, the UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest 5 times. The UK has also finished second a record 15 times and also has the record for the longest-running string of Top 5 placings.
How many times have Ukraine won Eurovision? ›Ukraine has won the contest three times and hosted Eurovision in 2005 and 2017. The competition has been held in Britain eight times, most recently in 1998, the year after the U.K. last won. The BBC said bidding to be the host city for the 2023 contest will open next week.