EUROVISION. Sixteen countries, including France, have already qualified for the Eurovision final after the first semi-final on Tuesday. Discover the list and predictions of bookmakers.
[Mis à jour le 10 mai 2023 à 09h25] Victory at Eurovision 2023 is getting closer for some countries. The first semi-final of the singing competition, broadcast on Tuesday May 9 on France 2, allowed the qualification of Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, the Czech Republic, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway for the competition final on Saturday May 13.
These ten countries thus join France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, i.e. the Big Five – the countries which contribute the most financially to the competition and which see their candidates automatically qualified -, as well as Ukraine, as winner of the previous edition. AT Conversely, five countries are definitively eliminated from the competition: Malta, Latvia, Ireland, Azerbaijan and the Netherlands.
In the first Eurovision semi-final, France’s candidate La Zarra gave her first live performance on the Liverpool stage. However, this was not enough to bring it up in the forecasts, since Sweden is still a winner with 45% of winning according to the bookmakers. France is in fourth position in the ranking, with a 5% chance of winning.
Next meeting Thursday. The second Eurovision semi-final will be visible on the Culturebox channel, channel 14 of TNT, from 9 p.m. In order, we will find: Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Estonia, Belgium, Cyprus, Iceland, Greece, Poland, Slovenia, Georgia, San Marino, Austria , Albania, Lithuania and Australia.
A cursed passing order for France at Eurovision?
If the qualification is not a problem, the order of passage of France during the final of Eurovision on Saturday evening worries the specialists of the competition. The draw thus determined that La Zarra would pass in the first half of the evening. However, according to observers, going too early in the competition can be a disadvantage, because it is too far from the voting period. Nevertheless, there are counter-examples with the Dutchman Duncan Laurence, who rose to 12th position before his victory in 2019. Because, obviously, what matters with Eurovision is to make an impression, at the start or end of the season. ‘issue !
Sweden and Finland favorites, La Zarra far behind but on the rise
Four days before the verdict, seeing France win at Eurovision would nevertheless be a miracle if we are to believe the bookmakers who have already accumulated bets on the songs most likely to win. According to data compiled by the specialized site Eurovisionworld.com, La Zarra would place fourth in the predictions. Encouraging, until we observe more closely the chances of winning, estimated at 5%.
France’s candidate for Eurovision remains too far from Swedish star Loreen, who already won Eurovision in 2012, and Finnish rapper Käärijä, far ahead in the forecasts. The Eurovision favorites would have, thanks to all the odds of 18 bookmakers, respectively 45% and 22% chances of winning, with a nice margin on their pursuers. The numbers can always change before Saturday’s final, however.
Here is the detail of the chances of winning at Eurovision established from the odds of 18 bookmakers. This table will be updated regularly until the final, with the latest data available:
The next edition of Eurovision has been set for mid-May 2023. The semi-finals of the international singing competition have been scheduled for May 9 and 11, before the grand final, held on Saturday May 13, 2023. Eurovision has taken up residence at liverpoolin the UK, this year.
If the organization of Eurovision should have been entrusted to Ukraine, winner last year, the war which is still raging in the country has forced the competition to change its plans, the security conditions not being sufficiently guarantees.
Eurovision 2023 news
In 2023, France 2 decided not to renew the competition “Eurovision France: it’s you who decide” on an exceptional basis. It is this competition that has designated for some time the song presented at Eurovision. The channel mentioned a “coup de coeur” meeting with the Quebec artist La Zarra and chose to send her directly to the international singing competition. She will perform the title “Obviously”, to listen to below.
What happened with La Zarra before Eurovision?
The French candidate for Eurovision has aroused many fears after having shunned the “Eurovision In Concert” tour, in April, in London and Amsterdam. The singer had canceled her performances at the last moment, citing a “personal problem”. In Le Parisien, she has since admitted to having experienced difficulties since her selection, in particular an extinction of voice “for six months”.
“I’m not going to lie, I have ups and downs in relation to the competition. Sometimes I tell myself that I’m going to win and other times that it’s too much. But I’m here to do the best I can,” said she said daily. La Zarra, a Canadian-Moroccan artist, is not a newcomer to the entertainment world. She had been named francophone revelation of the year to the NRJs Music Awards in 2021. She is particularly known for her title “Tu t’en iras”. At the beginning of May, she managed to reassure with a remarkable performance during the general rehearsals of the competition.
Since its creation in 1956, France has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times: in 1958, 1960, 1962, 1969 and 1977. Our country is therefore just behind Ireland, which holds the record with seven victories. In 1958, it was the singer André Claveau who won France’s first victory with the title “Dors, mon amour”. Two years later, in 1960, the artist Jacqueline Boyer won unanimous support with the song “Tom Pillibi”.
In 1962, Isabelle Aubret won Eurovision with the song “Un premier amour”. Then, in 1969, Frida Boccara won the Eurovision Song Contest with the title “Un jour, un enfant”. Finally, in 1977, the singer Marie Myriam was the last to win by performing “The Bird and the Child”, a title that has become cult over time for the public.
Last May, Ukraine was crowned winner of Eurovision 2022. The country represented by the rap group Kalush Orchestra benefited from a major mobilization of the public, a few weeks after the attempted invasion by Vladimir’s troops Cheese fries.
This victory was expected by the bookmakers. In total, the song “Stefania” ranked at the top of the chart with 631 points.
- Ukraine (631 points)
- United Kingdom (466 points)
- Spain (459 points)
- Sweden (438 points)
- Serbia (312 points)
- Italy (268 points)
- Moldova (253 points)
- Greece (215 points)
- Portugal (207 points)
- Norway (182 points)
- Netherlands (171 points)
- Poland (151 points)
- Estonia (141 points)
- Lithuania (128 points)
- Australia (125 points)
- Azerbaijan (106 points)
- Switzerland (78 points)
- Romania (65 points)
- Belgium (64 points)
- Armenia (61 points)
- Finland (38 points)
- Czech Republic (38 points)
- Iceland (20 points)
- France (17 points)
- Germany (6 points)