ALL THE EUROVISION COUNTRIES: (50-51). Concludes: tomorrow.

Caffè ☕️Lattè looks back on:

ALL THE

EUROVISION

COUNTRIES

The Eurovision Song Contest was first held in 1956. Back then, only 7 countries participated. In the decades since, dozens of other nations have joined the ESC family. As Europe changed, countries faded into history as new countries and new names emerged. Eurovision itself has expanded beyond the European continent; to Africa, the Middle East and the Southern Hemisphere.

Our spotlight looks back on every country that has competed – in chronological order. 

2008

The 2008 Eurovision Song Contest introduced another change. The Semi-Final heat was expanded to two. Eurovision now became a 3-night annual event. The new format enabled two more additions to the ESC family, bringing the number of participating countries up to a record-breaking 43.

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SAN MARINO

The introduction of a second Semi-Final accommodated two new countries into the Contest in 2008. The first to debut on the Eurovision stage was the autonomous region of San Marino, which is surrounded by Italy. After 4 unsuccessful attempts to qualify, the tiny republic finally progressed into its first Grand Final in 2014. It has only competed in three Grand Finals, with its best result being #19 in 2019. In 2024, Sam Marino will participate with its fifteenth song, “11:11”, performed by Megara in Semi-Final 2.

 

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AZERBAIJAN

 

Conversely, Azerbaijan -the second country to debut in 2008- has only failed to qualify for the Grand Final twice. It snatched its first victory in 2011 with Eli & Nikki’s “Running Scared”. Capital Baku played host city the following year. In 2024, it will be represented by its 17^th entry in Semi-Final 1.