Are you In or Out? Eurovision 2018 Participants List Update!
It’s fairly quiet in the Eurovision world at the moment, so we thought we’d take a moment to reflect what has happened so far to prepare us for the 2018 contest. The biggest piece of news so far would have to be the host city announcement, and if you didn’t yet know, the contest is heading to Lisbon, Portugal! The city met all of the requirements as a host nation, having a suitable venue, plus access to hotels and transport all available for the thousands who will make the trip to Lisbon. You can read more about the host city announcement here.
What else has been happening, you ask? Well, a fair few nations have already confirmed their participation in the 2018 contest, with some nations even providing details on how they will select their act for 2018.
Here is what we know so far:
Albania
Albania have confirmed for 2018, and will very likely be using their regular format of Festivali i Këngës to decide on their Eurovision entry.
Armenia
Armenian broadcaster AMPTV have confirmed their participation for Eurovision 2018, however it is still unknown how they will select their act.
Australia
Australia will be returning to Eurovision 2018, although it is still unsure how they will select their act. Read more here.
Austria
With the success of internal selections in Austria, they have decided to once again go down that road to select their 2018 act. Their song submission period is ending at the end of August, and broadcaster ORF is hoping to finalise the entry as soon as possible. Read more here.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan has confirmed their participation in the contest, however no news has been released on their method of selection – we’re putting our money on an internal selection!
Belarus
Belarus have confirmed that they will be at Eurovision 2018, but again, no news on their selection process. Since 2012, they have used the format of Eurofest to decide their act, and we have a feeling that they will stay with this national final format.
Belgium
Belgium has confirmed, and it has been said by selecting broadcaster for 2018, VRT, that the act for 2018 will be selected internally. Perhaps this is due to the success of the previous Belgian acts selected internally, so we’ll just have to wait and see who they choose! Update! Belgium has ALREADY selected! Read more here.
Bulgaria
They’re temporarily departing from Junior Eurovision, but Bulgaria have confirmed their presence at the big contest! With their recent success, it’s likely they will go down the internal selection route to pick their act.
Croatia
Croatia have announced their participation in Eurovision 2018, but their mode of selection is yet to be determined.
Cyprus
Cyprus is ready for a win, and they’re keen to get the 2018 process up and running! From what we know so far, which you can read about in more detail here, broadcaster RIK is in talks with a well-known songwriter who will be working with the Cypriot team. It’s also been said that there will be a national final, which will choose the artist only.
Czech Republic
Apparently Czech Republic has confirmed, but we don’t know much more than that! Watch this space!
Denmark
Denmark is forward thinking, and already planning out their 2018 selection. There were a few changes to their selection processes, which you can read more about here, but it has been confirmed that they will be using Dansk Melodi Grand Prix to select their act, as they have for many years.
Estonia
Estonia will be back to hopefully return to the Eurovision finals next year, and to the surprise of no one, they will be using Eesti Laul to select their act. It’s also a special year, with it being the 10th year of Eesti Laul!
Finland
The Finnish broadcaster has confirmed their participation, and they will also be keeping with their tradition, which is the national final Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu, which will take place early 2018.
FYR Macedonia
FYR Macedonia have recently announced that they will be participating in the 2018 contest.
Georgia
Georgia have committed to 2018, but it is still unknown how their act will be chosen.
Greece
Greece have apparently confirmed for 2018, but over the last few years it’s been a bit touch and go, so there’s no guarantee on this one!
Hungary
We’ve also heard that Hungary will be competing, and if so, they will likely be using the A Dal national final format which has brought them various successes over the years.
Iceland
Iceland doesn’t muck around, with a confirmation of not only their participation, but an actual date for when their national final Söngvakeppnin will be held. The two semi-finals will take place on the 17th and 24th of February, with the final to be held on the 3rd of March.
Ireland
Ireland have confirmed their participation, however there’s no confirmation on how they will select. What we do know is there has been a forum held between music industry professionals, Eurovision fans and the broadcasting team in order to discuss how to get Ireland back into the final. You can read more about it here.
Israel
It was unsure if we would see Israel in 2018, but they’ve just recently come out to say they will be in Lisbon!
Latvia
Latvia have said yes to 2018, but we’re still unsure of how they will select their act. It will likely be done through the national final format Supernova, which they’ve used previously with varying levels of Eurovision success.
Lithuania
Lithuania are back in it for 2018, and broadcaster LRT have confirmed that they’ll be using their intense and lengthy national final process Eurovizijos to select their act. Whether they keep the exact format still remains to be seen.
Malta
No surprises from Malta, who will once again be using the national final route to select their Eurovision act. The broadcaster PBS confirmed that the winner will be selected with 100% televote. You can read more about it here.
Montenegro
It’s been said that Montenegro will be participating in 2018, but we haven’t heard any news on how they will be selecting their act.
Netherlands
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS will be hoping to continue their success into 2018, and although they haven’t confirmed their selection process, it’s likely they’ll stick with what’s currently working for them, which is to internally select their act.
Norway
Norway have confirmed their participation, and will be using Melodi Grand Prix to once again choose their Eurovision act. The submission period will close on the 10th of September.
Poland
Poland have stated that they’ll be in Lisbon next year, with provisional plans to use the national final selection process to choose their 2018 act.
Romania
Romania are yodelling their way to Eurovision 2018, with confirmation that they will be using the national final format of Selectia Nationala to choose their participant. They have also stated that they would like to prepare earlier than in previous years. Perhaps they’re aiming for a 2018 win?
Russia
Russia is planning on returning to the contest after all the drama of 2017. It was said that Julia Samoylova would be given the chance to represent Russia in 2018, since she was denied the chance in 2017, however whether this is true or not remains to be seen.
Serbia
No official statement has been made, but just casually, the Serbian broadcaster has stated to fan media that they will be joining the party once again in 2018. Since 2016, Serbia has used internal selections to choose their acts, so perhaps they will stick with this method, or perhaps a national final is in the plans? We’ll be sure to find out soon!
Slovenia
Slovenia have also apparently confirmed, and we’ve heard that they are likely to use the EMA format to choose their Eurovision act, however with some changes regarding national language! Read more here.
Sweden
Sweden is back again, of course, and unsurprisingly, they will be using Melodifestivalen to choose their Eurovision act. Applications will open on the 1st of September.
Switzerland
Switzerland will be hoping to change their luck at the 2018 contest, all with the help of a revamped national selection format. There have been some considerable changes in the process, which you can read more about here, but ultimately, the proof is in the pudding!
Ukraine
Now that their hosting duties are over, Ukraine are back to being regular competitors who have now stated that they will be participating in Portugal next year.
The Big 5
France
Broadcaster France 2 has confirmed their participation, and it has been said that perhaps they will use a national final format to select their act rather than internal selection, which has been used for a couple of years now. Stay tuned for more news!
Germany
They certainly haven’t been the most successful Eurovision nation of late, but this hasn’t stopped them from confirming their participation in next year’s contest. It’s unsure how they will choose their act, but it’s likely they will use some form of their Unser Song selection process.
Italy
It’s been said that Italy will be taking place at Eurovision 2018, and as they have since their return in 2011, they will likely base their selection off their long-standing song festival, Sanremo.
Portugal
Of course the host nation will be participating, and their selection process will be Festival da Canção – the same process which gave Portugal their first ever Eurovision win with Salvador Sobral. The focus will be on the composers once again, but you can read more about the selection process here.
Spain
Spain have confirmed for 2018, however it’s still unsure as to whether they will go internal or use a national final process. There’s also been a push for national languages to be more present in the national final, which you can read more about here.
UK
What’s Eurovision without the UK? Even though their results haven’t been great over the recent years, they’re still giving it a go, and who knows, 2018 could be the year for the UK! Here’s what we know so far…
