The betting season has begun: Sweden is leading the odds for winning Eurovision 2025, followed by Ukraine, Italy and Israel. Where does Montenegro, which has already chosen its Eurovision entry, stand?
Every year, betting agencies worldwide prepare to predict the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. This year, several betting agencies have already opened the possibility to bet on the country that will win the competition, even before the official list of participating countries in Eurovision 2025 has been revealed. The betting tables will close during the Eurovision final on May 17, 2025.
At this stage, Sweden is ranked first, Ukraine second, Italy third, and Israel fourth. We’ve examined how the betting table looks and its significance at such an early stage, after only one song has been chosen – Montenegro’s entry. The full betting table is provided later in the article.
Last Wednesday, the first song to compete in Eurovision 2025 was revealed: “Clickbait” by the band NeonoeN, representing Montenegro. The song started at 37th place in the table, second to last. This position doesn’t actually mean much – in recent years, Balkan countries have been at the bottom of the betting odds due to fewer bettors, despite achieving respectable results in the actual competition in recent years.
Sweden, Ukraine, and Italy, the strongest countries in Eurovision in the 21st century, are in the top three. These countries have an impressive record of victories and remarkable results, making them the safest bet at this stage of the season. Israel, marking its second consecutive year in the top 5, is positioned right after them in fourth place.
Credit: eurovisionworld.com
The Significance of Betting Odds at This Stage
It’s important to emphasize that betting tables are based on many people betting their money on countries they believe might win the upcoming Eurovision. The betting table at this stage is merely a table of expectations, of which only a small part will materialize and a large part will prove wrong. It’s mostly based on countries’ results in previous years. These tables may change thousands of times until May. At this stage, the list of competing countries has not yet been officially revealed, so countries that have not yet officially confirmed their participation, such as Romania, may be added later.
Regarding the importance of betting tables in the coming months: We also emphasize that last year, after the war broke out in Israel on October 7, Israel conquered the first place in the betting tables before the Israeli song was revealed. With the exposure of the Israeli song, Israel dropped to eighth place and finally ranked fifth in the grand final of the competition. Switzerland conquered the top of the betting tables at the beginning of April and eventually won it.
For Eurovision 2022, after the war between Ukraine and Russia broke out, Ukraine stood at the top of the betting tables and eventually won the competition. On the other hand, about four years ago, during most of the Eurovision 2021 season, Malta stood at the top of the betting tables, with Italy overtaking Malta only in the rehearsal week. Italy did win first place, but Malta ultimately ranked only seventh.
At this stage, we are in very early stages, so the betting tables should be taken in proportion. However, this important tool should not be underestimated, and we will continue to follow it.
Eurovision 2025: This will be Switzerland’s 65th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Switzerland joined the competition in 1956, being one of the seven founding countries, and has won three times over the years. Its most recent victory was at the last Eurovision in 2025, with Nemo’s song “The Code.” This win follows Switzerland’s previous victory in 1988 with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi,” performed by international singer Céline Dion.
