The Eurovision connections of every World Cup 2026 nation

We've found Eurovision connections for every country competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

With the FIFA World Cup expanding to 48 teams in 2026, the tournament brings together countries from every corner of the globe.

Eurovision may be a very different kind of international contest, but there are more connections between the World Cup nations and the song contest than you might expect.

Some countries have competed at Eurovision for decades. Others have produced Eurovision artists, songwriters, interval acts or national final stars. A few have taken part in Eurovision-inspired contests, from OTI Festival to Turkvision, Intervision and Eurovision Asia.

So, as the World Cup kicks off, here are the Eurovision connections of every nation taking part.

Algeria

• Algeria has three broadcasters who are full members of the EBU and are therefore eligible to compete in Eurovision, but have yet to do so.

• They used to broadcast the Contest, but haven't done so since 1978

• Many artists who have competed have Algerian heritage, including Slimane, who finished 4th in 2024, and Louisa Baïleche who competed in 2003 with Monts et merveilles

Argentina

• Tali, who represented Luxembourg in 2024, lived in Argentina during her childhood through her Peruvian father's banking career

• Although not a national final this year, the Argentine pop duo Miranda! competed in Benidorm Fest 2026 finishing 5th.

• Chenoa, a famous Argentine singer in Spain, was a backing vocalist for Rosa in 2002 for Europe's Living a Celebration. She was also an interval act in Benidorm Fest 2025.

• Argentina was due to compete in the first Eurovision Song Contest Latin America announced in 2022 but the contest has yet to get off the ground.

  
  

Australia

• Australia has competed at Eurovision since being invited as a special guest in 2015

• In 11 contests, their best finish is 2nd with Dami Im's Sound of Silence and they have finished Top 5 on three occasions and Top 10 on six.

• Before competing, they have been broadcasting the contest non-stop since 1983

• Many Australian artists have competed for other nations including Gina G and Olivia Newton-John for the UK but other nations that have had Aussie acts include Armenia, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

Austria

• Austria debuted at Eurovision in 1957 and has competed a total of 58 times

• They have won the Contest three times with Merci, Chérie in 1966, Rise Like a Phoenix in 2014 and Wasted Love in 2025.

• They have boycotted or left the contest several times including over Franco's Spain hosting, voting issues and poor results they put down to "political voting." They returned in 2011 due to Germany hosting and have stayed ever since (winning twice in that time).

Belgium

• Belgium took part in the first ever Eurovision in 1956 and has competed 67 times - the fourth highest.

• They have only missed three Contests and not by choice - poor results relegated them during the 90s and early 2000s.

• Their entry alternates between its two public broadcasters: Dutch-language VRT (Flanders) and French-language RTBF (Wallonia), with VRT selecting the act in odd-numbered years and RTBF in even-numbered years.

• They have won Eurovision once with J'aime la vie in 1986.

  
  

Bosnia & Herzegovina

• Bosnia & Herzegovina made their debut in 1993 and have competed 19 times, the last time in 2016

• Their debut Eurovision entry, Sva bol svijeta (All the pain in the world) by Fazla became one of the contest's most remarkable stories, with the artists leaving besieged Sarajevo during the Bosnian War and reportedly crossing the airport runway under sniper fire to reach the contest in Ireland.

• Their highest placing was 3rd with Lejla in 2006

• They withdrew after 2016 due to broadcaster BHRT's financial difficulties, with the EBU later sanctioning the broadcaster over unpaid debts.

Brazil

• Laura Rizzotto, who represented Latvia in 2018 with Funny Girl, was born in Rio de Janeiro to a Latvian father and Brazilian mother.

• Brazil also appeared on the Eurovision stage in 2018 when Caetano Veloso joined Salvador Sobral during the Grand Final interval to perform Amar pelos dois.

• Bebi Doll represented Yugoslavia in 1991 with the song Brazil.

Canada

• Canada has had several artists represent other countries at Eurovision, most famously Céline Dion, who won for Switzerland in 1988 with Ne partez pas sans moi.

• Other Canadian Eurovision artists include Sherisse Laurence, who represented Luxembourg in 1986, Annie Cotton, who represented Switzerland in 1993, Natasha St-Pier, who represented France in 2001, and La Zarra, who represented France in 2023.

• Canada has reportedly shown interest in competing at the Eurovision Song Contest

Cape Verde

• Cape Verdean culture appeared prominently at Eurovision 2018 in Lisbon through the Grand Final interval act led by Portuguese DJ Branko.

• The performance featured Sara Tavares, Dino D’Santiago and Mayra Andrade, all artists of Cape Verdean heritage.

• Sara Tavares had also represented Portugal at Eurovision in 1994 with Chamar a música, finishing 8th.

Colombia

• Colombia has never competed at Eurovision, but Colombian-born artists have appeared in Eurovision-related selections.

• Colombian-born Jon Henrik Fjällgren has competed in Sweden's Melodifestivalen four times between 2015 to 2023 finishing 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 4th.

• Colombian-born Claudia Brant competed in Spain’s national selection in 1998 with Donde estás tú.

• Colombian-born Australian Jucaso competed in San Marino's national selection in 2024 with Hey Ciao.

Croatia

• Croatia debuted as an independent Eurovision nation in 1993 after previously competing as part of Yugoslavia.

• Its first entry, Don’t Ever Cry by Put, finished 15th in Millstreet.

• Croatia’s best result came in 2024 when Baby Lasagna finished 2nd with Rim Tim Tagi Dim.

• Before independence, Croatian group Riva won Eurovision 1989 for Yugoslavia with Rock Me, which meant the 1990 Contest was hosted in Zagreb.

Curaçao

• Curaçao’s clearest Eurovision connection is through the Netherlands, as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

• The small nation used to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest

• The stronger song-contest link is that Curaçao hosted the Caribbean Song Festival in 1994, which was inspired by Eurovision.

• The nation has a very similar-sounding name to the Portugal Eurovision 2023 song Ai coração.

  
  

Czechia

• Czechia debuted at Eurovision in 2007 with Kabát and Malá dáma, finishing last in the semi-final with just one point.

• After three failed attempts, the country withdrew and did not return until 2015.

• Gabriela Gunčíková gave Czechia its first Grand Final qualification in 2016 with I Stand.

• Their best result came in 2018 when Mikolas Josef finished 6th with Lie to Me, while Vesna also gave the country a strong recent result in 2023 with My Sister’s Crown.

DR Congo

• Claude Kiambe represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 2025 with C'est La Vie. He was born in DR Congo before moving to the Netherlands as a child with his family after fleeing conflict in the region.

• Marie Myriam, who won Eurovision 1977 for France with L’oiseau et l’enfant, was born in Luluabourg in what was then the Belgian Congo.

• Jessy Matador, who represented France in 2010 with Allez Ola Olé, was born in Kinshasa.

• His Eurovision entry was also used by France Télévisions to promote the 2010 FIFA World Cup, giving DR Congo one of the most direct Eurovision and football links on the list.

Ecuador

• While Ecuador has never competed at Eurovision, it did take part in song festivals inspired by Eurovision.

  The country competed in the Festival Mundial de la Canción Latina and later the OTI Festival, a Eurovision-style contest for Spain, Portugal and Latin America, where Ecuador hosted in 1996 and finished runner-up twice.

• This is a very tenuous link but Molly who competed for UK with Children of the Universe, collaborated with DJ Sash!, who had a worldwide hit with Ecuador....

Egypt

• Egypt has an EBU member broadcaster and is therefore eligible to compete at Eurovision, but has never done so.

• Its strongest modern Eurovision connection is through Mahmood, whose father is Egyptian.

• Mahmood finished 2nd for Italy in 2019 with Soldi and returned in 2022 with Blanco and Brividi.

England

• England competes as part of the United Kingdom rather than separately at Eurovision.

• Most of the United Kingdom’s Eurovision winners have been English, including Sandie Shaw, Brotherhood of Man and Katrina and the Waves.

• England hosted Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine after the UK finished 2nd in 2022 with Sam Ryder’s Space Man.

France

• France was one of the seven countries that took part in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.

• They have won Eurovision five times, most recently with Marie Myriam’s L’oiseau et l’enfant in 1977.

• France has also sent several of the Contest’s most famous non-winning entries, including Joëlle Ursull’s White and Black Blues in 1990, Patricia Kaas’s Et s’il fallait le faire in 2009 and Barbara Pravi’s Voilà in 2021.

Germany

• Germany has competed at Eurovision more times than any other country.

• Their first win came in 1982 with Nicole’s Ein bißchen Frieden, a peace song released during the Cold War era.

• Their second win came in 2010 with Lena’s Satellite, which became one of the biggest Eurovision winners of the 21st century.

• Germany's entrant this year, Sarah Engels, is married to footballer Julian Engels

Ghana

• Cephaz, who was born in Ghana and adopted by French parents, competed in France’s 2021 national selection with On a mangé le soleil.

• He finished 2nd behind Barbara Pravi, who went on to finish 2nd at Eurovision with Voilà.

  
  

Haiti

• A tenuous link, but after the Haiti earthquake of 2010 several Eurovision-related artists including Celine Dion, Mika and Nicky Byrne performed on charity singles to support aid relief.

• HaitI did take part in All For One Caribbean, a regional song contest inspired by Eurovision that ran between 2013 and 2015.

• Haiti competed in all three editions, finishing 3rd in 2013 with Darline Desca and improving to 2nd place in 2015 with Samantha Normil.

Iran

• While Iran is just outside the EBU area, several artists of Iranian heritage have represented other countries at the Contest.

• The most successful were Tehran-born Arash, who represented Azerbaijan alongside Aysel in 2009 and finished 3rd with Always. More recently, Barbara Pravi, whose mother is of Iranian heritage, finished runner-up for France in 2021 with Voilà.

• Other Iranian-born Eurovision artists include Rita, who represented Israel in 1990, and Tooji, who represented Norway in 2012.

Iraq

• Part of Iraq is within the EBU geographical area but it is not a full Member of the EBU

• Iraq has become an unlikely Eurovision fan in-joke, with fans often using the country as a stand-in for Australia on geographical maps because Australia lies outside the European region usually shown.

Ivory Coast

• Ivory Coast has a Eurovision link through Hervé Toure, an Ivorian-born singer-songwriter who relocated to Denmark with his family.

• He competed in Denmark’s Eurovision 2025 selection with Allez Allez, the only Danish-language song in the competition.

Japan

• At Junior Eurovision 2021, the Netherlands was represented by Ayana with Mata Sugu Aō Ne, which included Japanese lyrics and reflected her Japanese heritage.

• In 2023, Tokimeki by Neon Letters featuring Japanese singer Maiko Tammik competed in Estonia’s Eurovision selection Eesti Laul, bringing Japanese-language lyrics into a Eurovision national final

• Japanese culture has also inspired Eurovision artists, including Moldova’s 2026 representative Satoshi.

Jordan

• Jordan has an EBU member broadcaster and is technically eligible to compete at Eurovision, but has never done so.

• The country’s best-known Eurovision story comes from 1978, when Jordanian television broadcast the Contest but reportedly cut away as Israel’s win became likely.

• The country still had a connection to Eurovision through Jordanian-American songwriter Ferras Alqaisi, who co-wrote Australia's entry Eclipse for Delta Goodrem.

  
  

Mexico

• While Mexico has never competed at Eurovision, the country has occasionally found its way onto the Eurovision stage. Switzerland's 1963 entry was Einmal in Mexico (One Day in Mexico) by Willy Schmid, a song inspired by the country and its culture.

• Mexico has also had a presence in Spain's Eurovision selection, Benidorm Fest. Spanish-Mexican singer and television personality Alaska has appeared as a guest performer at the festival, while Izan Llunas, who became internationally known for portraying a young Luis Miguel in the Netflix series about the Mexican superstar, competed in Benidorm Fest with ¿Qué vas a hacer?

• Mexico was expected to be one of the key participating nations when Eurovision Song Contest Latin America was announced in 2022,

Morocco

• Morocco is the only African and Arab country to have competed at Eurovision.

• Its only appearance came in 1980, when Samira Bensaïd represented the country with Bitaqat Hub, finishing 18th.

• Morocco also has a connection to one of Eurovision's biggest stars. Two-time winner Loreen was born in Sweden to Moroccan parents and has spoken proudly about her Moroccan heritage throughout her career.

Netherlands

• The Netherlands was one of the seven countries that competed in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.

• They have won the Contest five times, most recently with Duncan Laurence’s Arcade in 2019.

• The Netherlands hosted Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam after the 2020 Contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• They were also at the centre of one of Eurovision’s biggest recent controversies when Joost Klein was disqualified from the 2024 Grand Final. They boycotted Eurovision 2026 over Israel participating.

New Zealand

• New Zealand has a direct connection to Australia's Eurovision history through New Zealand-born songwriter and producer Josh Fountain, who co-wrote and produced Montaigne's 2021 entry Technicolour.

• New Zealand has also become part of Eurovision fan culture through Eurovusion, a comedy skit series that parodies the Contest and imagines New Zealand taking part in its own chaotic, very Kiwi version of Eurovision.

• New Zealand-born artist iOTA competed in Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020 with Life, finishing third in the public vote.

• New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ has also been linked to Eurovision Song Contest Asia, with reports it explored broadcast rights ahead of the contest’s launch.

Norway

• Norway debuted at Eurovision in 1960 and has won the Contest three times.

• Their wins came with Bobbysocks in 1985, Secret Garden in 1995 and Alexander Rybak in 2009.

• Rybak’s Fairytale broke the points record under the voting system used at the time.

• Norway is also famous for the opposite reason, holding the record for the most nul points.

• In recent times, they have qualified for the Grand Final nine times in a row.

Panama

• Panama was a participant in the OTI Festival, a Eurovision-style song contest that brought together broadcasters from Spain, Portugal and Latin America.

• Panama competed in that contest for more than 20 years, giving it one of the longest histories in international song competitions outside Eurovision itself.

• The country's name is familiar to some Eurovision fans thanks to Lithuanian Eurovision 2015 representative Vaidas Baumila, who released the single Panama in 2016.

Paraguay

• Paraguay competed in the OTI Festival, a Eurovision-style song contest between broadcasters from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, for more than 25 years, finishing runner-up in 1978.

• Paraguayan singer Luis Alberto del Paraná competed at Italy's Sanremo Music Festival in 1966 with Quando vado sulla riva. Sanremo remains Italy's Eurovision selection and is one of the contests most closely linked to Eurovision.

Portugal

• Portugal debuted at Eurovision in 1964 and waited longer than any other country for its first win.

• That victory finally came in 2017 when Salvador Sobral won with Amar pelos dois, written by his sister Luísa Sobral.

• Portugal hosted Eurovision for the first time in Lisbon in 2018.

• That Contest also showcased Portugal’s wider Lusophone links, including Cape Verdean and Brazilian artists in the interval acts.

Qatar

• Qatar showed interest in joining Eurovision in 2009, when Qatar Radio reportedly sent journalists to the Contest in Moscow and was aiming to compete by 2011.

• Qatar Radio also broadcast a Eurovision-focused weekly show called 12 Points Qatar, but the country never progressed to full Eurovision participation.

• Qatar later competed in the revived Intervision Song Contest in 2025, with Dana Al Meer finishing 3rd for the country

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia has never competed at Eurovision, despite part of the country falling within the European Broadcasting Area, the geographic zone used to determine eligibility for European Broadcasting Union membership.

• The European Broadcasting Area includes the northern part of Saudi Arabia, meaning a Saudi broadcaster could theoretically pursue EBU membership if it met the organisation's requirements.

• Saudi Arabia also took part in the revived Intervision Song Contest in 2025 and is set to host the 2026 edition, giving it a role in one of Eurovision's biggest rival song contests.

Scotland

• Scotland competes as part of the United Kingdom rather than separately at Eurovision.

• Scottish singer Lulu was one of the four winners of Eurovision 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang.

• Scott Fitzgerald, who was born in Glasgow, finished 2nd for the UK in 1988 with Go, losing to Céline Dion by just one point.

• Glasgow was also one of the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023 before Liverpool was selected.

Senegal

• French-Senegalese artist Julia Sarr performed backing vocals for France at Eurovision 1994, supporting Nina Morato on Je suis un vrai garçon.

South Africa

• South Africa has a direct Eurovision link through Louis Potgieter, the South African-born member of Dschinghis Khan, who represented Germany at Eurovision 1979 with Dschinghis Khan, finishing 4th.

• South African singer-songwriter Filipa (Filipa Alexandra Carmo da Silva) was born in Johannesburg and competed in Portugal's Eurovision selection, Festival da Canção 2024, with You Can't Hide.

• South African-born singer Colé van dais also competed in Germany's Eurovision national selection in 2002 with I Believe.

South Korea

• South Korea's strongest Eurovision connection is Dami Im, who was born in Seoul before moving to Australia as a child. She represented Australia at Eurovision 2016 with Sound of Silence, finishing runner-up and achieving Australia's best result in the Contest.

• South Korea will also participate in the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok in 2026, becoming one of the first countries to officially join the Eurovision family in the region.

Spain

• Spain debuted at Eurovision in 1961 and has competed every year until their boycott in 2026

• They won in 1968 with Massiel’s La, la, la and again in 1969 with Salomé’s Vivo cantando.

• Spain's Eurovision selection Benidorm Fest has become one of Europe's most popular national finals, helping launch acts such as Chanel, who delivered Spain's best result this century with 3rd place in 2022.

  
  

Sweden

• Sweden debuted at Eurovision in 1958 and is one of the Contest’s most successful nations.

• They have won Eurovision seven times, equal with Ireland for the most wins in Contest history.

• Their winners include ABBA, Herreys, Carola, Charlotte Nilsson, Loreen and Måns Zelmerlöw.

• Sweden’s national final Melodifestivalen is also one of the biggest music television events in Europe.

Switzerland

• Switzerland hosted and won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.

• They have won Eurovision three times, with Lys Assia in 1956, Céline Dion in 1988 and Nemo in 2024.

• Céline’s win is one of Eurovision’s most famous cases of an artist representing a country they were not from.

• Switzerland hosted Eurovision 2025 in Basel after Nemo’s victory with The Code.

Tunisia

• Tunisia was due to make its Eurovision debut in 1977, but withdrew before the contest took place and has never appeared since.

• French representative Amina was born in Tunis and came within a tie-break of winning Eurovision 1991 with C'est le dernier qui a parlé qui a raison, ultimately finishing runner-up.

• Eurovision 2016 representative Amir has Tunisian heritage and spent part of his childhood in the country before representing France with J'ai cherché and finishing 6th.

Türkiye

• Türkiye debuted at Eurovision in 1975 and competed regularly for decades.

• Its only win came in 2003, when Sertab Erener won with Everyway That I Can.

• Türkiye became one of Eurovision’s strongest countries in the 2000s, with Top 10 results from Athena, Kenan Doğulu, Hadise and maNga.

• Türkiye withdrew after 2012 and has not returned.

United States

• The United States has never competed at Eurovision, but it had an official spin-off with American Song Contest in 2022, won by AleXa for Oklahoma with Wonderland.

• Several American artists have competed at Eurovision, including Katrina Leskanich of Katrina and the Waves, who won for the United Kingdom in 1997 with Love Shine a Light.

• Other American Eurovision artists include Kalomira, who represented Greece in 2008, Tamta, who represented Cyprus in 2019, and Monroe, who represented France in 2026 with Regarde !

• American rapper Flo Rida also joined Senhit for San Marino’s 2021 entry Adrenalina, while big artists such as Justin Timberlake and Madonna have performed as interval acts.

Uruguay

• While Uruguay has never competed at Eurovision, it did take part in song contests inspired by Eurovision.

• Uruguay was a regular participant in the OTI Festival, a Eurovision-style contest between broadcasters from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, and won in 1980 with Fernando Casado’s Canta, viejo, canta.

Uzbekistan

• While Uzbekistan has never competed at Eurovision, it has taken part in several Eurovision-style song contests across Asia and the Turkic world.

• Uzbekistan competed in Turkvision from 2013 to 2015, with its best result coming in 2014 when Aziza Nizamova finished 7th with Dunyo boʻlsin omon.

• The country also appeared in the revived Intervision Song Contest in 2025, with Shokhrukh Mirzo Ganiev finishing 10th with Sensan sevarim.

From Eurovision winners to national final hopefuls, interval acts, fan jokes and Eurovision-inspired spin-offs, the World Cup 2026 line-up has plenty of unexpected links to the Contest.

Some connections are obvious, some are niche, and some are wonderfully tenuous, but together they show just how far Eurovision culture has travelled beyond Europe.

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