Austria won the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel with Wasted Love by JJ, securing 436 points. Israel’s Yuval Raphael came second, and Estonia’s Tommy Cash placed third. Finland’s Erika Vikman finished 11th.
Austria last won Eurovision in 2014 with Conchita Wurst. This year’s victory came through a combination of strong jury support and moderate public votes. JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, performed as a countertenor.
He trained in Vienna and has previously sung at the Vienna State Opera. Despite his classical background, JJ won the contest with a visually elaborate and emotionally charged performance.
The performance had substantial Finnish involvement. Finnish professionals were behind JJ’s staging, costume, and production. The visual director was Ari Levelä, known for his work on Finland’s national selection UMK. The costume was designed by Teemu Muurimäki and sewn in Helsinki by Elviira Medel.
JJ received 258 jury points and 178 public points. Israel, the public’s favourite, earned 297 televote points but only 60 from the juries, finishing with 357. Estonia received 356, narrowly behind Israel.
Finland’s Erika Vikman performed Ich Komme and earned 196 points in total: 108 from the public and 88 from juries. She received her only 12-point jury score from Austria. Public votes came mainly from Nordic countries and Australia, with 10 points each from Sweden, Estonia, and Australia. Sixteen countries gave Finland zero public points.
President Alexander Stubb congratulated Vikman on social media, stating that “Finns should be proud.” UMK, Finland’s Eurovision selection, will return to Tampere in February 2026.
Sweden’s KAJ, a Finnish-Swedish comedy group, placed fourth with Bara Bada Bastu, a song themed around sauna culture. It was Sweden’s highest public vote getter, receiving 195 points, compared to Austria’s 178. However, it earned only 126 jury points, totalling 321.
KAJ’s humour resonated most in Nordic countries, gaining 12 public points from Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Estonia. Juries were more reserved, with only Iceland awarding top marks. The group’s strong streaming presence in the spring, including charting in the UK, had raised expectations that were ultimately unmet.
Estonia’s Tommy Cash delivered an unorthodox entry, Espresso Macchiato, which proved unexpectedly popular. It received 258 televote points and 98 from juries. Italy awarded it seven public points despite reported offence taken at its lyrics. Public 12-point scores came from Armenia, Croatia, Latvia, Malta, and Serbia.
This year’s final saw dramatic shifts between jury and public votes. Austria dominated among juries, while Israel surged in the public tally. Twelve countries gave Israel full 12-point public scores, including the UK, Germany, and Spain. Finland contributed 10 public points.
Israel’s strong performance came despite protests against its participation due to the Gaza conflict. Only Azerbaijan’s jury gave it 12 points. Israel’s public vote support spanned 26 countries, each awarding at least seven points.
Estonian media highlighted Finland’s and Sweden’s results, as well as the third-place success of Tommy Cash. Austria’s victory was widely seen as a result of a polished performance, supported by a multinational creative team.
The final featured 26 countries. At the bottom, San Marino scored 27 points, while Iceland placed last with 37. Switzerland, the host country, placed 10th.
The full results for the top 12:
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Austria (JJ) – Wasted Love: 436
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Israel (Yuval Raphael) – New Day Will Rise: 357
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Estonia (Tommy Cash) – Espresso Macchiato: 356
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Sweden (KAJ) – Bara Bada Bastu: 321
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Italy (Lucio Corsi) – Volevo Essere Un Duro: 256
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Greece (Klavdia) – Asteromáta: 231
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France (Louane) – Maman: 230
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Albania (Zjerm) – Shkodra Elektronike: 218
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Ukraine (Ziferblat) – Bird of Pray: 218
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Switzerland (Zoë Më) – Voyage: 214
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Finland (Erika Vikman) – Ich Komme: 196
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Netherlands (Claude) – C’est La Vie: 175
HT