The countries that have never won Eurovision
Sixteen countries still entering without a win, one about to start, eight that stopped, and the rule that keeps Morocco off the top of the list.
The short answer
As of the 2026 contest, the countries still entering Eurovision that have never won it are Albania, Armenia, Australia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Georgia, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, San Marino and Slovenia; Malta, entering since 1971, has waited the longest.
Every country in the all-time table has a number in the wins column, and for most of them it is zero. This page is that zero, sorted — with one rule applied first, because without it the list says something false.
The rule for this list
The archive records, for every country, the year it first entered and, if it has stopped, the year it last did. That second column is what separates a wait from an absence.
Morocco entered once, in 1980, and has never returned. Counted naively, it has "gone 46 years without a win", which would put it above every country that has kept turning up. That is not a wait. A wait is a country that keeps entering and keeps not winning, so this list ranks only countries with no last year recorded — the same rule the all-time tab on the tracker uses to name the longest one.
Countries that stopped get their own table below, with the year they stopped: nothing is hidden, it is simply not ranked.
Still entering, never won
Sorted by first entry. The notes are the archive's; a dash means it holds none.
| Country | First entered | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Malta | 1971 | Has finished second twice without winning |
| Cyprus | 1981 | — |
| Iceland | 1986 | Has finished second twice without winning |
| Croatia | 1993 | — |
| Slovenia | 1993 | — |
| Lithuania | 1994 | — |
| Poland | 1994 | Finished second on debut in 1994 and has not matched it since |
| Romania | 1994 | — |
| Albania | 2004 | — |
| Moldova | 2005 | — |
| Armenia | 2006 | — |
| Czechia | 2007 | — |
| Georgia | 2007 | — |
| Montenegro | 2007 | — |
| San Marino | 2008 | — |
| Australia | 2015 | The only regular participant from outside the European Broadcasting Area, invited for the 60th contest and kept on since |
| Canada | 2027 | Debuts in 2027 — the first new country since Australia in 2015 |
Under the rule above, Malta has waited longest: entering since 1971, second twice, never first. Cyprus, since 1981, is next, then Iceland, since 1986, also second twice.
Canada is on the table before it has sung a note, because the archive records first year as the year of first entry and Canada's is 2027. It is here so this table matches the tracker, where Canada is a confirmed debutant — see Canada.
Stopped entering
| Country | First | Last | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco | 1980 | 1980 | Entered once, in 1980, and has never returned |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1993 | 2016 | Has not entered since 2016 |
| Hungary | 1994 | 2019 | Withdrew after 2019 without giving a reason |
| Slovakia | 1994 | 2012 | Has not entered since 2012 |
| North Macedonia | 1998 | 2022 | Confirmed on the tracker as returning for 2027 |
| Andorra | 2004 | 2009 | Entered six times between 2004 and 2009 and never reached a final |
| Belarus | 2004 | 2019 | Its broadcaster's EBU membership was terminated in 2021; it cannot currently enter |
| Serbia and Montenegro | 2004 | 2005 | Entered in 2004 and 2005; the state dissolved in 2006 |
Two of these did not choose to stop. Belarus cannot enter while its broadcaster is outside the EBU, and Serbia and Montenegro no longer exists — its 2006 entry was withdrawn after the national final collapsed, and the state dissolved that year. The rest are a broadcaster's own absences, and any could end with one announcement.
One absence is ending: North Macedonia, last in the contest in 2022, is confirmed on the tracker as returning in 2027. If it sings in Burgas, it moves to the table above.
The two movers: Bulgaria out, Canada in
Bulgaria was on the first table from its debut in 2005 until May 2026. It won the 70th contest in Vienna with "Bangaranga" by Dara, its first win, and now hosts the 71st. The rest is on the history page.
Canada joins from the other end. It has never lost because it has never entered, and it enters in 2027 as the first new country since Australia in 2015, after CBC/Radio-Canada was accepted as an EBU member in June 2026.
The other end of this statistic — the countries with the most wins — is on most Eurovision wins.
What is not settled for 2027
Which of the countries on the first table will be in Burgas. Eligibility is standing, participation is annual, and the tracker records each country as its broadcaster states it, not before. The contest itself is fixed: Semi-Final 1 on 11 May, Semi-Final 2 on 13 May and the Grand Final on 15 May 2027, at Arena Burgas.
Whether any of them leaves this list in May is the other question, and the only honest answer is the one the table gives: not yet.
FAQ
Which countries have never won Eurovision?
Among countries still entering: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Georgia, Iceland, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, San Marino and Slovenia, with Canada joining on its 2027 debut. Eight more never won and have stopped entering, among them Morocco, Hungary, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Which country still in the contest has waited longest for a win?
Malta, which has entered since 1971 and finished second twice without winning — a longer run than Portugal's 53-year wait before it won in 2017, because Malta's is still going. Morocco's single entry in 1980 is not counted as a wait, because Morocco has not entered since.
Has Malta ever won Eurovision?
No. Malta first entered in 1971 and has finished second twice without winning, which makes it the longest-waiting country still in the contest.
