The destination of 16 of the 32 countries even in the race in Eurovision 2025 will soon be sealed. It is tonight after 9 pm that the second semifinal of this 69th edition will take place in the Halle Saint-Jacques de Basel (Switzerland). Louane, who represents France with the song Motherwill act on stage during this second semifinal; At the end of the night, ten additional candidates will get their ticket for the grand finale on Saturday. But for the French singer, without suspense: his qualification is already guaranteed.
Because France benefits from a privilege in Eurovision competition, as well as in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and Germany. For them five, they form the “Big 5”, the largest financial taxpayers in the competition. This generosity offers them a guaranteed place for the final.
Constant mutations
During the first edition of the Eurovision competition in 1956, only seven countries participated: Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland. This year, there are 37. In almost 70 years, Tele-Hancho has continued to attract participants, which makes it impossible to maintain competition on one night.
In 2004, the European Radio-Television Union (the UER, an organizer of the competition) inaugurated a great disorder: now, a semifinal will take place a few days before the grand finale, which allows all countries that wish to participate to try luck.
At the same time, it is announced that the largest financial taxpayers will be automatically qualified for the final. Then there are four of them: France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. The ten best classified countries the previous year also benefit from this privilege.
New change four years later
In 2007, 42 countries participated in Eurovision. A new record that forces to eliminate 18 participants in the only semifinal. It was the following year that the second was established.
The automatic qualification of the ten best classified countries disappears: now, only the members of Big 4 and the host country have the right to it. This rule has been unchanged. Big 4 only became Big 5 to 2011, when Italy restored the competition after thirteen years of absence.
If Big 5 candidates and country country (this Switzerland year) are not subject to vote during the semifinals, they interpret their song there and divide between the two nights. Spain, Italy and Switzerland occurred during the first semifinal on Tuesday and France, the United Kingdom and Germany will occur during the second. 26 countries will try to win the final on Saturday night.
Source: BFM TV
