We are only three weeks after Eurovision 2023 and the first information about the next event has already started to circulate. So, let’s recap what we know so far.
THE COUNTRIES THAT RUSHED TO DECLARE PARTICIPATION
Traditionally the Scandinavian countries are the ones who quickly organize next season’s schedule. For one more year, Finland was the first country to confirm participation in Eurovision 2024, just hours after the Grand Final on 13 May. Several more countries followed with official announcements afterwards.
As of today, June 5, we have 14 countries that we know we will definitely see at Eurovision 2024. These are:
Cyprus, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Luxembourg, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Finland, Malta, Italy, Iceland, Israel.
Already in the participation list stands out the historic return of Luxembourg , after 31 years. All 5 Nordic countries have already confirmed, while from the Big 5 we are still waiting for confirmation from France and the UK.
Greece usually confirms its participation later in the year. We remind you that last year the submission window for the closed internal selection process opened at the end of August and closed on October 13.
The first information shows that Greece is heading towards a national final for the selection of the song and artist, without anything being decided yet. The pre-election period has put a pause on all Eurovision 2024 related proceedings. We will come back with more information when there is more to reveal.
Cyprus was one of the first countries to confirm for 2024. Everything indicates that the selection process will be different from the lrevious years for Cyprus as well. Right now, we await for the final confirmation of the recruitment of a well-known talent show for this purpose.
THE CANDIDATE HOST CITIES
Now let’s move on to Sweden and see what we know so far. It will be hard to beat last year’s British enthusiasm, where over 30 towns and villages had officially expressed their interest for hosting the 2023 event. However, we already have 8 cities officially or unofficially considering the prospect of hosting Eurovision 2024.
THE FAVORITES
The 3 big cities of Sweden, which have also organized Eurovision in the past, have a clear advantage since they also fulfill all the conditions set by the EBU in order to commission the event.
Stockholm has 3 appropriately sized venues: The Avicii Arena (formerly Globen, 16,000 seats), where Eurovision 2000 and Eurovision 2016 took place. The Friends Arena (50,600 seats), home of the Melodifestivalen finals. And the Tele2 Arena (45,000 seats).
However, all 3 venues have issues, which remain to be overcome: Avicii Arena is scheduled for a major renovation in the 1st half of 2024, while both Friends Arena and Tele2 Arena are home to football clubs. The commitment of their venues in April and May is something they do not want, so they have already issued a joint statement in which they ask that Stockholm not to be chosen as the host city. Nevertheless, what we know is that the SVT channel considers the two ‘big’ Stockholm venues as its first choice at the moment, Friends Arena and Tele2 Arena.
Malmö had organized Eurovision 2013 in Malmö Arena (15,000 seats). However, many things have changed since 2013 and organizing now has become more demanding. But what is in favour of Malmö at the moment, is that the city is about the size of Liverpool. After the success of this year’s event, the EBU is looking for cities of smaller size that, however, meet the infrastructure demands. Let’s not forget that Copenhagen, with the air bridge connecting the two cities, is only 40 minutes away and is able to accomodate people for the contest. So, Malmö seems, at this time, the best alternative to Stockholm.
Sweden’s 2nd largest city, Gothenburg , is a better choice as it is a bigger city than Malmö, one that more satisfactorily fulfills the requirements for visitor transport and accommodation. However, its stadium has serious drawbacks that would probably make it unsuitable. Scandinavium (14,000 seats) hosted Eurovision in 1985. The major problem is the unsuitability of its roof, which is too low and cannot bear weight.
THE ‘ROMANTIC OUTSIDERS’ CANDIDATES
Rather romantic is the idea of organizing Eurovision from a small town, with the way the contest has transformed now. Essentially, taking up hosting means a total transformation for a city of this size, something that will hardly be feasible financially and timewise. But let’s see which municipal councils will nevertheless fight for the cause:
Jönköping was the first city to officially express interest, as early as May 20. A nomination doomed from the start, since the Husqvarna Garden has a capacity of only 7000 spectators.
The seaside town of Örnsköldsvik , with only 30,000 inhabitants, offered to host tourists on cruise ships. However, Hägglunds Arena does not meet the requirement of 10,000 spectators, since it can only fit 9,800.
The similarly sized town of Sandviken has a 10,000-seat venue, the Göransson Arena . A semi-final of Melodifestivalen has also been hosted there.
Other cities that are seriously considering it are Gälve (Monitor ERP Arena, 10,000 seats), Eskilstuna (Stiga Sports Arena, 5,000 seats) and Partille (Partille Arena, 4,000 seats).
This was what we know so far about Eurovision 2024. We will probably expect news and decisions from the EBU at the end of August.
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