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19th contest

Eurovision 1974

The 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, the 19th edition, was held in Brighton, United Kingdom and was won by Sweden — ABBA with “Waterloo”.

The most consequential win in the contest's history, and the one every "can Eurovision launch a career" argument still starts from.

The facts

Host country
United Kingdom
Host city
Brighton
Winner
Sweden
Artist
ABBA
Song
“Waterloo”

This was Sweden’s 1st Eurovision win — not their last. Their full record

Compiled from the public record of the contest. Years, hosts, winners, songs and performers are stated; participant counts and pre-2000 venues are left blank rather than estimated, and will be filled in as each is checked against a primary source. This is a different standard from the two-independent-sources bar that a 2027 confirmation has to clear, and it is held to a lower one — spotted an error? It is worth telling us about.

Not affiliated with the EBU. “Eurovision Song Contest” is a trademark of the European Broadcasting Union.