Eurovision: Inside the dress rehearsal in Liverpool
Sweden has won Eurovision 2023 with the track Tattoo by Loreen.
Winner Loreen said as they accepted the trophy: “I’m so happy and so thankful. Thank you.”
Finland came in second place with Cha Cha Cha by Kaarija.
While the UK came in 25th place with singer Mae Muller and her track I Wrote A Song.
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest was a poignant affair with the UK hosting for 2022’s winners Ukraine, who clinched victory last year with Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania.
Kalush Orchestra returned to the stage again this year with a stirring rendition of their winning entry as Ukraine enters its 444th day of war with Russia.
The live shows and grand final took place in Liverpool Arena with fans from across the world attending the event.
The UK honoured winners Ukraine with Julia Sanina, the lead singer of the Ukrainian rock group The Hardkiss hosting the show, alongside Graham Norton and Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham.
Prior to the results being announced, Sweden was the odds-on favourites to win the competition with bookmakers Ladbrokes and William Hill giving artist Loreen a 1/2 chance of winning for a second time with the song Tattoo.
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Loreen previously won Eurovision in 2012 with her dance track Euphoria, which was a chart hit across Europe, so there were hopes she could replicate her previous success.
Close behind was Finland’s rapper, singer, and songwriter Käärijä with his entry Cha Cha Cha, which was given odds of 9/4 by Skybet and 5/2 by bet365.
Reigning champions Ukraine and their entry this year TVORCHI and their song Heart of Steel were given odds of 17/2 from Betfair and 11/1 from Coral.
Interestingly, Israel’s act Noa Kirel and her song Unicorn quickly saw a flurry of bets, pushing up their chances of winning 17/1 from Unibet and 12/1 from Betfred.
After last year’s Eurovision high for the UK with Sam Ryder’s track Space Man, which came in second place behind Ukraine, the odds were not in Britain’s favour this time around.
Among the UK’s chances of winning were 80/1 from Paddy Power and 50/1 from betway.
“At best, we’re in for a three-horse race tonight. Loreen and Sweden have led the way pretty much from the offset, but we’ve seen so much interest in Israel over the last 24 hours, it’s impossible to rule them out at this point,” Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said.
Among the outsiders in this year’s Eurovision were Lithuania’s Monika Linkytė and her song and Luke Black with Samo Mi Se Spava for Serbia.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 is available to watch on the BBC iPlayer now
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