Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest
Participating broadcaster	Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR)
Participation summary
Appearances	64 (53 finals)
First appearance	1956
Highest placement	1st: 1956, 1988, 2024
Host	1956, 1989, 2025
Participation history 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
External links
SRF page RTS page RSI page
Switzerland's page at Eurovision.tv
For the most recent participation see Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Switzerland has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 64 times since its debut at the first contest in 1956, missing only four contests because of being relegated due to poor results the previous year: 1995, 1999, 2001, and 2003. Switzerland hosted the inaugural contest in 1956 in Lugano, where it also won. The country claimed its second victory in 1988, 32 years after the first, and its third in 2024, 36 years after the second win.

Lys Assia won the inaugural contest in 1956 with the song "Refrain" and returned to place second in 1958. Switzerland achieved second place with Esther Ofarim (1963) and Daniela Simmons (1986), and third place with Franca di Rienzo (1961) and Arlette Zola (1982). The country won for the second time in 1988 with Céline Dion and the song "Ne partez pas sans moi". Annie Cotton secured Switzerland's 15th top-five finish by placing third in 1993.

Since the introduction of the qualifying round in 1993, Switzerland has reached the top ten only four times. Since the semi-final round's inception in 2004, the country has failed to reach the final in 11 of 19 contests, finishing last in the semi-final on four occasions. Switzerland returned to the top five after 26 years when Luca Hänni finished fourth in 2019, achieving the country's 16th top-five result. This was followed by Gjon's Tears placing third in 2021, marking the 17th top-five finish. Switzerland won the contest for the third time in 2024, with Nemo and the song "The Code". The country has also finished last in the semi-finals four times since 2004, with Piero and the MusicStars (2004), Michael von der Heide (2010), Mélanie René (2015), and Rykka (2016).