Thirty-seven countries participated in the contest, the same number as in Romania opted not to participate, and Luxembourg competed for the first time since The Netherlands was disqualified from the contest between the second semi-final and the final, but the country retained its right to vote. The inclusion of Israel among the participants in the context of the Israel—Hamas war was met with controversy, and additional security measures were put in place for the event.
Switzerland won the combined vote and jury vote, and placed fifth in the televote. Croatia won the televote and finished in second place, its best result to date as an independent country. Ukraine , France , and Israel completed the top five.
The EBU reported that the contest had a television audience of million viewers in 37 European markets, an increase of a million viewers from the previous edition, with an additional 7. It was the venue for the "Turquoise Carpet" event on 5 May , where the contestants and their delegations [ b ] were presented before accredited press and fans, and the opening and closing ceremonies.
A Eurovision Village was created in Folkets Park [ sv ]. It hosted performances by contest participants [ c ] and local artists, as well as screenings of the live shows for the general public.
Eligibility for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with an active EBU membership capable of receiving the contest via the Eurovision network and broadcasting it live nationwide. The EBU issues invitations to participate in the contest to all active members.
