Explain to us the little-known rules of Eurovision

The 2023 edition of the singing competition was watched by 162 million viewers worldwide, according to BBC figures. The grand final this year will take place on Saturday in Sweden.

The grand final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision contest takes place in Malmö, Sweden, on Saturday May 11. The event brings together more than 160 million viewers around the world each year. Slimane, and his song My love, represents France. Facing him, 25 other groups or artists, who sometimes fought to obtain a place in the final.

If for the French, qualification is automatic for the other participants, the situation may be different. This is one of the sometimes little-known rules of competition. Five countries are still automatically qualified for the final stage of Eurovision: the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy and France. Quite simply because these States are the largest financial contributors to the European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of Eurovision. A sixth place is also reserved for the host country, this year Sweden. For the other participants, you have to go through semi-finals.

This week, 31 countries competed in these events for only 20 places. All member countries of this European Broadcasting Union, the EBU, can participate. It brings together public service media in the European broadcasting area. An area defined by the United Nations. This is why we can or have been able to find countries like Russia, Turkey or Israel at Eurovision.

Australia invited since the 60th edition

Australia is an exception. The country has been broadcasting the competition continuously since 1983. Its inhabitants are complete fans of it. As a result, Australia was invited in 2015 for the 60th edition, as a wink. A prolonged wink, since the country has been coming back every year.

Eurovision remains the scene of sometimes very kitsch and completely crazy performances. However, everything is very codified. Have fun, for example on Saturday evening, counting the number of people present on stage. There are never more than six. This is one of the rules of the organizers, who also prohibit playback or autotune to adjust the voice. Artists must really sing, not allowed to slip up.

The only people who pretend on stage are the musicians. They don’t play live. The artists actually perform their song to a recorded soundtrack. The whole thing lasts no more than three minutes. The goal: to gather as many votes as possible, knowing that you cannot vote for your own country. The ten most popular titles will obtain between 1 and 12 points. We add up the scores for each country at the end of the evening. The artist who collects the most points is crowned.