THE 38 COUNTRIES taking part in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland have been revealed. 

The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest final is set to take place in Basel between 13 and 17 May, after Switzerland’s Nemo won this year’s final.

Ireland and Israel are on the final list for entrants, as is the Netherlands despite speculation on whether the country would enter the upcoming song contest following the controversial exit of its 2024 act Joost Klein.

Klein was banned from the show following a complaint made by a female member of the production crew.

The 2024 Eurovision was held in May in Malmö, Sweden, but in August, the Swedish Prosecution Authority dropped its investigation into the backstage altercation.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority said the investigation concluded that Klein “made a movement that hit the woman’s film camera”, adding that “the course of events was fast and was perceived differently by the witnesses of the incident”.

“I cannot prove that the act was capable of causing serious fear or that the man had any such intention,” senior prosecutor Fredrik Jonsson said.

The Eurovision Song Contest is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU),  which is, essentially, an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area.

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS blasted the decision to boot Klein off the show in the hours before the grand final as “not proportional” to the incident and its participation in the 2025 contest had been in doubt. 

In October, AVROTROS confirmed it would participate in the 2025 edition but Klein declined the opportunity to take part in next year’s contest, AVROTROS said.

Meanwhile, the EBU this week said it has now put in place a package of measures after a series of controversies last year, including the appointment of a “safety manager in the artist environment” and “seriously reducing the amount of filming behind the scenes”.

Bambie Thug represented Ireland in this year’s song contest and said the atmosphere behind the scenes had been horrible. 

They called for Israel to be banned from the Eurovision and Bambie Thug had threatened to not perform at the final due to an alleged breach of rules by Israeli TV commentators during their semi-final performance.

According to RTÉ’s report, a commentator on Israel’s national broadcaster KAN warned viewers with children that Bambie Thug’s performance would be “the most scary” of the show.

The commentators added that there was some controversy about Bambie Thug’s song in Ireland and that the singer also liked to “speak negatively about Israel” before adding, “prepare your curses”.

Once the final was over, Bambie Thug accused KAN of inciting violence against them.

“So now that I am free I can talk about everything right? KAN, the broadcaster, incited violence against me twice, three times,” they told reporters.

The changes to production for next year’s song contest to ensure the wellbeing of participants includes the implementation of no filming zones, more closed-door rehearsals, and the introduction of a welfare producer to be a key point of contact for artists and staff to “ensure a safe, respectful, and supportive environment”.