The Swedish tug-of-war for Eurovision has begun

2024 will be the third time in a relatively short time that the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Sweden, and the question is which city will ultimately welcome fans from all over the world.

Historically speaking, the competition has never been held outside Stockholm, Malmö or Gothenburg, and some who would like to see Eurovision end up in Stockholm in particular are the Liberals.

“I am already looking forward to welcoming guests from all over Sweden and the world to Stockholm next year. Stockholm has the capacity, the infrastructure and the resources, but above all, Stockholm has two million festive residents in the county,” says Jan Jönsson (L), opposition councilor in Stockholm city, in a press release.

“Extremely Difficult Time”

Gothenburg also has the infrastructure needed for such an arrangement, according to municipal board chairman Jonas Attenius (S).

— But I have to be honest to say that you have to weigh hosting against the costs. And we are in an extremely difficult time financially. Should we end up in that situation, those aspects must also be taken into account, he says The Express.

The tones are similar in Malmö. The chairman of the municipal board Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (S) calls the 2013 Eurovision final in the city a “success”, but states that there is a limit to how much the municipal coffers can handle.

— In a strained economic situation, it is of course not possible to implement it at any price, she tells Expressen.

The winner herself is clear about where she wants to see the competition held. At the press conference after the finale, Loreen didn’t need any more time to think before presenting her preferred scene:

— It has to be Stockholm.

The Dutch pop group Teach-In is celebrated on the Älvsjömässan stage after winning the Eurovision final in 1975 with the entry “Ding a-dong”. It was the first time Sweden organized the competition. Archive image.