The dust has finally settled in Basel, but the internet is still on fire. If you missed the live broadcast of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, you missed one of the weirdest, most statistically lopsided finishes in the history of the show. Austria’s JJ walked away with the trophy for "Wasted Love," but the way the points shook out has left fans and several national broadcasters demanding answers.
It wasn't a landslide. Not even close.
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We’re looking at a year where the professional juries and the public didn’t just disagree—they basically lived in different universes. While the juries were busy falling in love with Austria’s "popopera" on a boat, the televoters were throwing their weight behind acts like Israel and Estonia. It’s the kind of math that makes your head hurt, but let’s break down exactly how JJ clinched it.
The Final Scoreboard: Who Actually Won?
Austria won. That’s the short version. The long version is that JJ finished with 436 points, narrowly beating out Israel’s Yuval Raphael, who landed at 357 points. Estonia followed incredibly close behind in third with 356 points.
Honestly, it was a nail-biter. Usually, a winner clears the 500-point mark in this modern era, but JJ actually had the lowest winning score we’ve seen under the current system since Duncan Laurence in 2019. It’s a "low-scoring" year, which usually means the votes were spread out all over the place.
Here is the top of the leaderboard for the Eurovision 2025 voting results:
- Austria (Winner): 436 points
- Israel: 357 points
- Estonia: 356 points
- Sweden: 321 points
- Italy: 256 points
- Greece: 231 points
France, Albania, Ukraine, and the host country Switzerland rounded out the top ten. But the numbers don't tell the full story. You've got to look at the "Jury vs. Public" split to see where the drama really lives.
Why the Jury and the Public Refused to Agree
If you think the "jury vs. televote" debate is tired, 2025 just gave it a massive second wind.
Austria won the jury vote by a mile. They pulled in 258 points from the pros, getting "douze points" (12 points) from eight different countries, including Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands. The juries loved the technical vocal ability and that high-concept staging with the LED storms.
But the public? They weren't nearly as impressed.
JJ only came fourth in the televote with 178 points. He didn't get a single 12-point set from the public anywhere. Not one. That is almost unheard of for a winner. Usually, the winner has at least a few countries where they were the absolute fan favorite. Instead, Austria won by being "everyone's second or third favorite" while dominating the juries.
The Israel and Estonia Surge
Israel’s Yuval Raphael was the absolute king of the public vote, pulling in 297 points. That is a massive gap compared to their jury score of only 60 points. This 237-point difference is the biggest gap of the year and has sparked a ton of conversation about "organized voting" and political statements versus song quality.
Then there’s Tommy Cash from Estonia. He came in third overall, but he was a massive televote hit with 258 points from the public. His "Espresso Macchiato" performance was polarizing, to say the least—some called it genius, others called it an "ear bleed"—but the public clearly leaned toward the chaos.
The "Zero Points" Club and Surprising Bottoms
It’s always brutal to see a "0" on that big screen. This year, it happened a few times.
The United Kingdom’s "What The Hell Just Happened?" by Remember Monday got zero points from the public. Total silence from the televoters. They survived on 88 jury points to stay out of the very bottom, but it was a rough night for the Brits.
Switzerland, the host, also suffered. Despite a decent showing with the juries (214 points), the public gave them absolutely nothing. It’s a bit of a slap in the face for a host nation, but Zoë Më’s "Voyage" just didn't translate to the people watching at home.
The Full List of Heartbreaks
- Iceland: Finished with 33 points total (all from the public, 0 from the jury).
- San Marino: Dead last with 27 points.
- Spain: A disappointing 24th place with only 37 points.
Controversies: Is the Voting System Broken?
We can't talk about the Eurovision 2025 voting results without mentioning the elephant in the room: the calls for an audit.
Spain’s broadcaster, RTVE, and Belgium’s VRT have both publicly questioned the televoting results. There’s a lot of talk about "bulk voting" and whether or not the system can be manipulated by organized campaigns.
The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) has stood its ground, saying their partner Once verified every single vote. Still, when you see a country like Israel getting 12 points from the public in Spain and Ireland—countries where the public sentiment and government stance were very much against their participation—people start asking questions. It’s a weird paradox. Is it a "silent majority" voting for a song they like, or is it a weakness in the "20 votes per person" rule?
Some fans on Reddit and X are already pushing for a change to the 50/50 split. There’s a suggestion to go to a 60% televote / 40% jury model, or even limiting the number of votes per person to five. Whether the EBU actually listens is another story.
Actionable Insights: What This Means for 2026
If you’re a superfan or someone who bets on the contest, this year changed the game. Here is what we can learn from the 2025 mess:
- Vocal precision is the jury's "North Star": JJ’s win proves that if you can sing "popopera" perfectly while standing on a moving boat, the juries will carry you to the finish line even if the public is lukewarm.
- The "Middle Path" wins: You don't have to be #1 in the televote to win. You just need to be in the top 5 of both or dominate one and stay respectable in the other.
- Diaspora and "Statement" voting are stronger than ever: Between Albania’s high public scores and the massive push for Israel and Ukraine, the televote is becoming less about the "best song" and more about identity and politics.
- Expect a rule change: With multiple big broadcasters asking for audits, don't be surprised if the EBU tweaks the voting app or the point weighting for Eurovision 2026.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve for next year, start watching the national finals in January. That’s where the trends start. Keep an eye on the "Big Five" too—Italy is the only one consistently cracking the top 10 lately, and their "Lucio Corsi" entry this year proved that sticking to your national language and style is still a winning strategy for longevity.
The road to Eurovision 2026 (likely in Vienna, thanks to JJ!) starts now.