National ANTHEMS!

SCOTT MILLS and RYLAN CLARK on why this year's Eurovision Song Contest is set to hit the high notes

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EUROVISION SEMI-FINALS LIVE TUESDAY & THURSDAY, 8PM, BBC1 ENTERTAINMENT

Dust off the flag bunting and have your scorecards handy as the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 gets under way this week!

After Nemo's victory last year with genre-fusing song The Code gave Switzerland its third win, we're heading to the cultural city of Basel for the 69th edition of the extravaganza. It's a homecoming moment for Eurovision, as the very first competition was held in Switzerland in 1956, and this year's event will pay homage to that groundbreaking broadcast.

The semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday will see 31 countries compete for 20 available spots in the grand final on Saturday 17 May, where they'll join the automatically qualifying 'Big Five' countries - France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom - as well as host nation Switzerland. In a format twist introduced in 2024, these six countries will showcase their songs during the semi-finals but the viewers will not be able to vote for them. Look out for the UK's act Remember Monday, performing on Thursday.