The attention of Europe and beyond is firmly set on Malmo, Sweden this week for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
Artists from every corner of the continent and for some reason, Australia, will duke it out in a flurry of music, colour and flamboyance in a bid to join the likes of Abba on the Eurovision Song Contest winner’s list.
Sweden won an incredible seventh Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, equalling the mark set by Ireland, while also seeing Loreen become the first-ever female artist to win the coveted title twice, having previously tasted success with Euphoria in 2012.
Semi-Finals are slated for Wednesday and Friday morning respectively in Australia and the Final will be decided in the early hours of Sunday, so we’ve run the rule over the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest field and provided our best betting plays below!
With memories of Voyager’s exceptional effort still fresh in our minds, Australia will be represented in 2024 by ‘Electric Fields’ and their song, ‘One Milkali’ (One Blood); the first-ever entry to include verses sung in the Yankunytjatjara language.
A dance track fitting on a position in a Eurovision field:
At publish, Australia sits on the 13th line of 2024 Eurovision Song Contest betting (to win) at odds of $201, with Croatia opened a clear favourite in the Neds market.
Even if they don’t win the contest, Croatia have gapped the field by selecting a band called ‘Baby Lasagna’, and a song called ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’.
That being said, if this song doesn’t win then it is clear that Europeans lack taste. What a banger, what a film clip!
Croatia has never won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Fourth-placed finishes in 1996 and 1999 are their best results, and this is easily their greatest chance of lifting the disco ball.
Switzerland is the best tried in Eurovision betting to knock off the favourite this year, firming onto the second line at odds of $4.50 (at publish).
Falsetto, changes in tempo and styles aplenty, ‘The Code’ by Nemo wouldn’t look out of place in the winner’s stall.
Of the ‘Big 5’ nations that automatically qualify for the Eurovision Song Contest Final every year, betting suggests that Italy is the best chance of reigning supreme ($6 at publish).
‘La noia’ by Angelina Mango is performed in Italian, which has proven to be a winning formula many times throughout Eurovision’s history.
As of 2024, 36 winners have been crowned with lyrics in languages other than English, with only 31 English-worded songs having reigned supreme.
Of those at double-figure odds and longer in Eurovision Song Contest betting, Ireland might be the one to fight into the finish and indeed, win the whole thing ($10 at publish).
‘Doomsday Blue’ by Bambi Thug is unlike anything that the seven-time winners have entered previously, and it’s just the right amount of different to have an impact.
Given that it also gets the Harry Potter fans onside immediately, we really can’t find a reason why this won’t go big in the votes:
2024 Eurovision Song Contest Tips
Back Croatia to Win @ $2.65
Back Ireland to finish in the Top 5 @ $3.25
Arguably the best part of Eurovision every year is looking back through the archives at all of the weird and wonderful that has made the contest the spectacle that it is.
With that in mind, sit back and enjoy a few of our favourites!
Toy – Netta (2018)
Not since Ed Sheeran first toured has a loop pedal been used so effectively.
This song won in 2018!
Occidentali’s Karma – Francesco Gabbani (2017)
This started a short favourite in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, and with a bloke prancing around in a monkey suit on stage, it’s not hard to see why.
Historically, it has been very hard for songs performed in languages other than English to win at Eurovision and unfortunately for Francesco Gabbani, this absolute tune suffered that fate.
They kept flashing to his booth during the vote count that year and as I recall, Francesco was not too pleased at all.
You Are The Only One – Sergey Lazarev (2016)
You Are The Only One opened favourite in betting for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, for Russian entry Sergey Lazarev.
At the time of the competition, tensions were high between Russia and several other nations, namely the Ukraine, whom the public instead voted into the winner’s stall.
There is absolutely no denying how much of a banger this song is – real shame for Sergey that he didn’t salute!
Space – Slavko Kalezic (2017)
This is one of the best performances, songs and enigmas to ever grace a Eurovision stage.
Most entries into the Eurovision Song Contest take colour, visuals and sexuality to new levels, but Montenegro’s Slavko Kalezic (complete with six-foot top knot) took it a step further in 2017.
The song opens with the lyrics “Linen is covered with feathers, wet dreams, wild nightmares, I surrender!” and boasts a double-entendre chorus of “I have my suit on, no need to worry, Give me you body, let’s write a story. Our body language, Rocket to the stars.”
Absolute travesty that Space didn’t even make through to the GF!
Rise Like A Phoenix – Conchita Wurst (2014)
Conchita Wurst recorded a dominant win for Austria at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’.
The song would not have sounded out of place at the beginning of a Daniel Craig Bond film, and remains one of the highest scoring songs in the contest’s history.
Run Away – Sunstroke Project (2010)
One of the most recognisable instrumental breaks in Eurovision history, 2010’s competition gave birth to Epic Sax Guy.
This tune has enjoyed a renaissance in 2024 thanks to TikTok!
Hard Rock Hallelujah – Lordi (2006)
Pop isn’t the only genre explored at the Eurovision Song Contest – there’s even space for Nordic Death Metal, played by god-knows whatever these blokes are supposed to be.
Another enigmatic winning entry, and it’s really not hard to see why!
Waterloo – Abba (1974)
Let’s not forget that Eurovision launched one of the world’s most successful ever pop bands onto the global stage in 1974.
Jaja Ding Dong – Fire Saga (2020)
They ended up playing some other heartfelt garbage in the final, but I’m confident in saying that Iceland’s Fire Saga would have swept the votes in 2020 if they’d instead played Jaja Ding Dong.