Entries that conquered Eurovision without winning their semi-final

Image Source: Corinne Cumming/EBU

When Switzerland won the Eurovision Song Contest this year, it became the ninth country to win the Grand Final without having won its semi-final.

Nemo's The Code finished fourth in Semi-Final 2, behind Israel, Netherlands and Armenia, with a televote system only used in the semi-finals. But when when a jury vote was thrown in to the mix for the Grand Final, it came out on top.

Fourth place is the lowest result that a country has achieved in a semi-final where it has then gone on to win the Grand Final.

When was the semi-final system introduced?

The semi-final system was introduced to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 to accommodate the increasing number of countries that wished to participate.

From 2004-2007, one semi-final was held but this was expanded to two semi-finals in 2008 and this system remains currently in place.

Other Eurovision winners that didn't win their semi-final

2004 - Ukraine (finished 2nd in SF)* (one semi final only) (televote only in both the semi-final and Grand Final)

2008 - Russia (3rd in SF1) (televote only in both semi-finals and Grand Final)

2011 - Azerbaijan (2nd in SF1)  (jury and televote in semi-finals)

2016 - Ukraine (2nd in SF2) (jury and televote in semi-finals)

2023 - Sweden (2nd in SF1) (televote only for semi-finals)

Image Source: Corinne Cumming/EBU

In 2010 (Germany) and 2021 (Italy) the contest was won by a member of the Big 5 so they were not required to qualify through the semi-final system. In a rule that no longer exists, the 2005 winner Greece was also an automatic qualifier to the Grand Final as they had finished in the Top 10 in the 2004 contest.

Semi-final winners that did win the contest

2006 - Finland

2007 - Serbia

2009 - SF2 - Norway

2012 - SF2 - Sweden

2013 - SF1 - Denmark

2014 - SF2 - Austria

2015 - SF2 - Sweden

2017 - SF1 - Portugal

2018 - SF1 - Israel

2019 - SF2 - Netherlands

2022 - SF1 - Ukraine

Semi-final winners that didn't win the contest

2004 - SF - Serbia (2nd in GF)* (one semi final only)

2005 - SF - Romania (3rd in GF) * (one semi final only)

2009 - SF1 (Iceland - 2nd in GF)

2012 - SF1 (Russia - 2nd in GF)

2013 - SF2 (Azerbaijan - 2nd in GF)

2014 - SF1 (Netherlands - 2nd in GF)

2015 - SF1 (Russia - 2nd in GF)

2016 - SF1 (Russia - 3rd in GF) & SF2 (Australia - 2nd in GF)

2017 - SF2 (Bulgaria - 2nd in GF)

2018 - SF2 (Norway - 15th in GF)

2019 - SF1 (Australia - 9th in GF)

2022 - SF2 (Sweden - 4th in GF)

2023 - SF1 (Finland - 2nd in GF) & SF2 (Australia - 9th in GF)

2024 - SF1 (Croatia - 2nd in GF) & SF2 (Israel - 5th in GF)

Of note is Norway who won Semi-Final 2 in 2018 but only managed 15th place in the Grand Final. This is the lowest Grand Final finish ever of a semi-final winning song.

Australia

Australia hasn't won the contest yet, but we have managed three semi-final wins in our ten years competing! Semi-final winners Kate Miller-Heidke (2019) and Voyager (2023) went on to finish 9th, while Dami Im came runner-up in 2016.

For continued updates on all the Eurovision Song Contest news follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet