- The 69th edition of the contest took place in Basel, Switzerland
- Sweden were the favourites to win ahead of the contest
- It was a tight race right down till the last second
Eurovision returned last night in Basel, Switzerland, bringing the fun, silliness and giant pop hooks fans have always come to expect.
Sweden were the favourites to win going into the contest with their sauna anthem Bara Bada Bastu, but there were other eagerly anticipated entries on the agenda too. Austria was a clear frontrunner with their pop-opera fusion Wasted Love, while Finland’s innuendo-filled Ich Komme was popular too.
Read more: Eurovision 2025: How to watch the grand final
But who took the crown?
A nail-biting finish
It seemed for a while during the vote reveal that Israel had a win in the bag. However, at the very last second, Austria snuck in to claim victory.
This is Austria’s first win since the now-legendary Conchita Wurst took home the trophy with the song Rise Like A Phoenix in 2014. He had previously appeared on The Voice UK.
Their song Wasted Love, performed by the artist JJ, was an operatic electropop ballad about unrequited love. The staging was just as dramatic, with the countertenor performing on a boat atop a tempestuous sea.
“Thank you so much for making my dreams come true,” JJ said as he accepted the trophy. “Love is the strongest force in the world, let’s spread more love.”
After the show, the artist said he was “so pleased” his song resonated with a wider European audience.
“I wanted to let them have an insight on my deepest soul [and] how I felt when we wrote the song,” he said.
“What I’m trying to commit [to] is that there’s no wasted love. There’s so much love that we can spread around. It’s the strongest force on planet earth.”
Who else made the top 5?
Yuval Raphael finished as runner-up for Israel with her song New Day Will Rise. Estonia came third with Tommy Cash’s Espresso Macciato, a quirky yet controversial track about Italian stereotypes.
Rounding out the top 5 were initial frontrunners Sweden and Italy’s Lucio Corsi with Volevo Essere Un Duro.
Was there any controversy?
Israel’s participation proved controversial once again given the current situation in Gaza. There were pro-Palestine protests on the streets of Basel outside the contest.
Two protesters were prevented from invading the stage during Raphael’s performance, one of whom threw paint at a crew member. There were no injuries and the pair were escorted out of the venue. Raphael’s performance remained unaffected.
A spokesperson for Israeli broadcaster Kan said the protesters “were blocked by security officials but Raphael was shaken and upset”.
