Eurovision Song Contest 2020

The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the 2019 contest with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. This edition was the first and only one in the contest's 64-year history to be cancelled, with it being called off on 18 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eurovision Song Contest 2020
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Dates
Semi-final 112 May 2020 (cancelled)
Semi-final 214 May 2020 (cancelled)
Final16 May 2020 (cancelled)
Host
VenueRotterdam Ahoy
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Presenter(s)
Directed by
Executive supervisorJon Ola Sand
Executive producer
  • Sietse Bakker
  • Inge van de Weerd
Host broadcaster
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/rotterdam-2020
Participants
Number of entries41 (planned)
Number of finalists26 (planned)
Debuting countriesNone
Returning countries Bulgaria
 Ukraine
Non-returning countries Hungary
 Montenegro
Participation map
  •      Countries that had planned to participate in 2020 and would have automatically qualified for the final     Countries that had planned to participate in 2020 and would have competed in the semi-finals     Countries that had participated in the past but did not plan to participate in 2020

The contest was scheduled to be held at Rotterdam Ahoy and would have consisted of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May, and a final on 16 May 2020. Forty-one countries would have participated in the contest; Bulgaria and Ukraine would have returned after their absence from the 2019 contest, while Hungary and Montenegro had confirmed their non-participation after taking part in the previous edition. All 41 competing artists and songs were confirmed by the relevant broadcasters by early March 2020.

Following the cancellation, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) began discussions of potential carryovers for the 2021 contest, such as the host city and participating artists, with various parties. In place of the cancelled contest, the EBU and its Dutch members NPO, NOS and AVROTROS organised a replacement show, Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, to showcase the selected entries on 16 May, the day of the planned final. Rotterdam remained host of the 2021 contest on 18, 20 and 22 May 2021; however, the songs selected for the 2020 contest were not eligible for the competition.

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