Ahead of the opening of the submissions for its Eurovision 2025 selection, Melodifestivalen, Swedish broadcaster SVT has revealed changes to the next edition of the competition.
Entries to be available earlier and changes to ‘Finalkvalet’ revealed
One of the main changes for the upcoming edition of the competition is when the entries will be available for viewers to listen to. Normally, entries that qualify directly to the final are released a week before the final (when all of the entries have been performed), but now the entries will be released each week on Friday, the day before the participants are set to compete.
Another change being made is how the twelve participants in the final are selected. While two entries from each of the five semi-finals (which will make up ten of the participants) are selected and remain unchanged, the way the final two participants are changed.
The entry that placed third in each semi-final will still have a chance to make it to the final (which will be made up of five entries). Out of the five participants who placed third in each semi-final, the act with the highest score across all of the Semi-Finals will automatically be given a place in the final, with the remaining four acts fighting it out for the remaining spot. The act with the highest points from the vote will then be awarded the last spot in the final.
As usual, Sweden’s Eurovision 2025 representative will be selected via a mixture of televoting and an international jury.
Sweden’s Eurovision Journey
In 1958, Sweden made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, with Alice Babs representing them with the song “Lilla stjärna” which placed fourth. Since their debut, the Scandinavian nation has managed to win seven times (1974, 1984, 1991, 1999, 2012, 2015 and 2023).
In 2024, Sweden were represented on home soil by Marcus and Martinus. As the host entry, their song “Unforgettable” did not need to compete in the semi-finals. At the close of voting in the grand final, they had received 174 points. 125 points were received by the juries, while the twins received 49 points by televoters.
Are you excited for Sweden’s selection for Eurovision 2025? Who would you like to see compete at Melodifestivalen and represent Sweden in 2025? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky.
News Source: SVT/Eurovision.tv
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
Rory Gannon 
That Eurovision Site