Europhiles, unite! It’s time once more for our annual pilgrimage to Eurovision. And this year’s celebration of music and language is coming to us live from Basel, Switzerland.

Switzerland, of course, is the land of multiple national languages, with an impressive four to its constitution. For most of us, languages one of the main draws of the contest (it was certainly my way in!). And as it turns out, 2025 has a few nice surprises in store.

Eurovision 2025 : What’s In And What’s Out?

Icelandic is back, thanks to the Væb brothers – but Norwegian gives way to English again. After norsk-singing Gåte’s last place in the 2024 final, perhaps the appetite for a national language song wasn’t there. Perhaps most surprisingly, Swedish is back, and after a 27-year gap! Sverige is represented by the winsome KAJ, hailing from the Swedish-speaking region of Finland, and are bookie’s faves with their ode to the sauna, Bara bada bastu. It’s been a long time waiting since Jill Johnson’s Kärleken är in my lovely home city of Birmingham.

That makes two Finnish entries this year, then – well, almost. As for the Finnish broadcaster, YLE, there’s more language joy in store. Yes, Finnish is back! And Suomi’s Erika Vikman is proving, like Käärijä in 2023, that singing in your national language is no hobbler. The cheeky Ich komme not only squeezes a bit of German in there via the title, but has consistently featured in the bookie’s top ten favourites since its selection.

Francophone Delights

French is back big for 2025. For a start, Louane’s emotional Maman is currently third favourite to win. Joining her in francophone pop celebration are Luxembourg’s Laura Thorn, singing an up-to-date homage to the 1965 luxembourgeois winner Poupée de cire, poupée de son, Swiss home defender Zoë Më with the charmingly beautiful ballad Voyage, and Israeli singer Yuval, whose lyrics are partly in French (she lived in Geneva as a child).

Hardy Annuals

Italy, Portugal and Spain continue with France their long-held tradition of sending songs in the national language – welcome bulwarks against the tide of anglophone pop unleashed when the national language rule was dropped (again) in 1999. But they’re joined this year by Germany, who send a song in German for the first time since the late Roger Cicero’s 2007 entry. Baller is a fresh-sounding Ohrwurm that has worked its way into many fan favourite lists.

Neighbouring Baltics Latvia and Lithuania have both chosen this year’s edition to showcase their own languages. That’s a double rare occurrence – both countries have overwhelmingly opted to sing in English for most of their Eurovision journey. Estonia doesn’t quite join their club this year, but isn’t entirely in English; the quirky Espresso macchiato is sung partly in English, and partly in ‘Mocktalian’, which has caused some consternation with native speakers.

Completing the language line-up, we have Albanian, Greek, Hebrew, Montenegrin, Polish, Serbian and Ukrainian.

Now that doesn’t compare too shabbily with 2024, does it? Whichever country you’re supporting, have a great Eurovision – and see you in Basel!