Music. Eurovision 2025: Everything you need to know before the final of the 69th edition, this Saturday evening

There were 37 at the beginning of the week, now there are only 26: the participants in the Eurovision Song Contest final, which takes place this Saturday evening in Switzerland, will compete for the attention and votes of some 160 million viewers in Europe and beyond. Here's what you need to know about the world's biggest talent show and this ^69th edition.

Sweden remains the odds-on favorite with comedy trio KAJ's catchy, catchy ode to "Bara Bada Bastu ," which evokes the joys of a sauna. In stark contrast, but hot on the trio's heels, countertenor JJ dazzled for Austria with " Wasted Love," a performance enhanced by a Harcourt studio black and white.

After two semi-finals and some strong performances, Austria, France, Finland, the Netherlands, and Israel are hoping to cause a surprise at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel. Louane, for France, was automatically selected for the final, but her song "Mama n" (Mama), a tribute to her late mother, intensely performed and a restrained set design symbolizing the passing of time in an hourglass, allowed her to climb to third place according to the bookmakers. The singer will perform at 11:08 p.m., in 24th place, just behind... the favorites Swedes.

Fans snapped up the 6,500 tickets for Saturday's final. "I think the final lineup is quite diverse, with both uptempo and ballad offerings, and perhaps some more poetic moments," says Fabien Randanne, a music journalist at 20 Minutes and a Eurovision regular.

Norwegian Kyle Alessandro will open the show with a burst of flames, followed by Luxembourg's Laura Thorn and La poupée monte le son . A possible surprise according to Fabien Randanne. In a light-hearted tone and in French, the singer denounces the patriarchy by invoking Poupée de cire, poupée de son , written by Serge Gainsbourg and whose interpretation by France Gall gave Luxembourg victory 60 years ago.

The contestants will be decided by votes: the jury and a separate vote from viewers in each of the 37 participating countries, with equal weight. In addition, viewers from the rest of the world will vote.

Although sworn to secrecy about the figures, Eurovision voting master Thomas Niedermayer revealed that this week's semi-finals were "very close." "It was even closer than the points indicated. So it was an exciting race, and the race for the winner is set to be close," he said.

Amid calls to boycott Israel at Eurovision , Israeli singer and October 7 attack survivor Yuval Raphael's popularity has risen over the weeks, earning him a spot in the final with his rendition of " New Day Will Rise."

The 24-year-old woman, who survived by pretending to be dead under a pile of corpses during the Hamas massacre, wants to send a universal message of "hope and solidarity." One of her rehearsals was disrupted by whistles, and a spectator made a throat-slitting gesture toward the delegation during Sunday's presentation parade.

The anti-Gaza war protests, which brought together thousands of people in Malmö in 2024, drew few people in Basel. This was despite an intensification of the Israeli offensive in the narrow Palestinian territory.

The participation of Canadian megastar Celine Dion, who suffers from a serious autoimmune disease, remains a mystery. She was 20 years old when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland. The competition made her a global star.

The Eurovision final can be watched tonight on France 2 from 9 p.m.