So Close Yet So Far: The Countries That Have Finished 11th Most Often in Eurovision Semi-Finals

Australian Eurovision fans were heartbroken last month when Australia missed qualifying for the Eurovision Grand Final for the second year in a row. To make matters worse, the full results revealed after the Grand Final showed Australia finished in 11th place in Semi Final 2, missing the final by just 10 points! Cruelly, our 2024 artist Electric Fields also finished in 11th place by an even narrower margin - 6 points.

But is Australia the unluckiest country to miss the final by such a narrow margin twice? Whilst it might seem that way, it turns out there are seven other countries who have also finished in 11th place multiple times.

Let's take a look at them here -

North Macedonia/Macedonia - 4 11th places

North Macedonia/Macedonia has the distinction of being the country with the most number of 11th places at the Eurovision Song Contest, but two of them are due to a bizarre rule that existed only in 2008 and 2009. In these years, only the top 9 songs in each semi-final moved through to the Grand Final, with the 10th and final spot being chosen by a back-up jury.

In 2008, Tamara, Vrčak and Adrijan's Let Me Love You  finished 10th in its semi-final but the back-up jury selected 12th placed Charlotte Perrelli from Sweden to move through to the final. Hero had finished 10 points behind Let Me Love You but sadly it was Macedonia that went home.

History repeated itself in 2009 when Next Time's Nešto što kje ostane also finished its semi-final in 10th place but was left out of the final in favour of Finland's 12th placed Waldo's People who had finished three points behind them with Lose Control.

In 2016, Macedonia was in the middle of what was to be a six year non-qualification streak. But Kaliopi's Dona came close, finishing her semi-final in 11th and missing the final by 17 points behind Serbia's Sanja Vučić.

After the 2022 contest, the country now known as North Macedonia, pulled out of the competition when it failed to qualify for the final for a second consecutive year. The unlucky singer was Andrea whose Circles was 20 points off the pace. 10th spot was taken by Azerbaijan's Nadir Rustamli, the last Azerbaijani entry to qualify for the Grand Final.

Poland - 3 11th places

Poland's Tulia failed to qualify to the 2019 Grand Final by a mere 2 points with Fire of Love (Pali się). The female folk music trio lost out to Like It by Belarus' Zena in Semi Final 1 who bookmakers had also predicted would fail to qualify.

This was the third time that Poland had missed the final by the narrowest of margins. In 2005 and 2006 they went back to back for 11th place in the era of only one semi-final. In 2005, only four points separated Poland from 10th placed Latvia and in 2006 it was Macedonia who edged them out by six points.

Serbia - 3 11th places

Serbia has a 78% qualification record since the the introduction of the semi final system with only four of its entries failing to make the final. However of the four Serbian entries that have missed qualification, three have been unlucky enough to finish in 11th place.

Tijana Bogićević's In Too Deep is the most recent of these, having missed the 2017 final by only 3 points. It was Australia's Anja Nissen representing Denmark who kept her out, finishing 10th in the second semi final that year with Where I Am.

There was similar heartbreak for girl group Moje 3 in 2013 whose Ljubav je svuda missed qualification by six points behind Estonia's Birgit with Et uus saaks alguse.

In 2009, Marko Kon and Milaan's Cipela finished 10th in Semi Final 2 but was again kept out by the rule at the time that saw only the top 9 songs in each semi-final move through to the Grand Final. Despite the Serbian duo's 10th place finish, the back-up jury selected Lijepa Tena by Croatia's Igor Cukrov feat. Andrea to move through. The duo had finished in 13th place, 27 points behind the Serbians.

Portugal, Malta, Lithuania, Croatia & Australia - 2 11th places

Apart from Australia, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania and Croatia have all finished in 11th place on two occasions.

Just like Australia, Croatia's two 11th places came in consecutive years (2021 and 2022). It was a narrow affair in 2021 when Albina's Tick-Tock missed out by just 5 points to Fallen Angel by Norway's Tix. But 2022 wasn't so close when there was a 28 point gap separating 10th placed Systur from Iceland and Croatia's Mia Dimšić.

Lithuania, Malta and Portugal have all experienced the heartbreak of missing the final by the narrowest of margins.

Jurij Veklenko from Lithuania missed qualification by just 1 point in 2019 when Run with the Lions was pipped at the post by Denmark's Leonora with Love is Forever. Lithuania also finished in 11th place in the second semi final of 2014, 16 points behind Slovenia who finished in 10th.

Malta missed the 2015 final by 10 points but they had been unluckier four years earlier when Glen Vella's One Life finished 11th by a margin of just one point to Switzerland's Anna Rossinelli's In Love for a While.

2007 saw Portugal miss the final by 3 points but fan-favourite Suzy was dealt a crueller blow in 2014 when Quero ser tua finished just one point behind San Marino's Valentina Monetta. Maybe became the first entry from San Marino to ever qualify for the Grand Final.

So there you have it, Australia is actually one of 8 countries that have finished in 11th place on more than one occasion at the Eurovision Song Contest! Fingers crossed we can go one better in 2026 and qualify for the final for a seventh time!

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