Czech Representatives at Eurovision Throughout the Years

From May 7th to May 11th, 2024, the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, Sweden, with artists representing a total of 37 countries. Among them will be the singer Aiko, representing the Czech Republic.

The first Czech to participate in Eurovision was Karel Gott (1939 - 2019) in 1968. However, he performed as a representative of Austria with the song “Tausend Fenster” (“Thousand Windows”) and finished thirteenth. Nevertheless, it contributed to the development of his popularity in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.

Considering that Czechoslovakia, as part of the Eastern Bloc, did not participate in the competition at the time, the offer received by singer Lenka Filipová in 1988 could have been a great opportunity. She was supposed to represent Switzerland with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi” (“Don’t Leave Without Me”). However, she did not receive permission from the authorities to participate, so she was replaced by the then emerging Céline Dion, who won with the song and launched her career.

Representatives of the independent Czech Republic first participated in Eurovision in 2007 when the band Kabát performed the song “Malá dáma” (“Little Lady”) in Helsinki. Unfortunately, they ended up in last place.

The following year, singer Tereza Kerndlová represented her country with the song “Have Some Fun” and finished second to last. The participation of the group Gipsy.cz in 2009 with the song “Aven Romale” also didn’t go well, resulting in last place. Combined with low interest from the Czech public and low viewership, the Czech Republic withdrew from the competition.

Better times began to emerge in 2015 when, after a several-year hiatus, the vocal duo Marta Jandová and Václav Noid Bárta were sent to Eurovision in Vienna with the symbolically named song "Hope Never Dies,"finishing thirteenth. The following year, Gabriela Gunčíková placed twenty-fifth with the song “I Stand,” and in 2017 singer Martina Bárta secured thirteenth place with her song “My Turn.”

The Czech Republic achieved its best result in the competition so far in 2018 when singer Mikolas Josef represented it at the 63rd edition held in Lisbon, Portugal, with the song “Lie to Me,” securing sixth place.

In the following years (except for 2020 when the competition was canceled due to the pandemic), the Czechs finished 11th (group Lake Malawi with the song “Friend of a Friend” in 2019), 15th (Benny Cristo with the song “Omega” in 2021), and 22nd (group We Are Domi with the song “Lights Off” in 2022).

In the penultimate edition held in 2025 in Liverpool, the Czech Republic was represented by the group Vesna, which achieved 10th place with the song “My Sister’s Crown.”

We’ll see what result this year’s Czech representative Aiko will bring back from Eurovision. People in the Czech Republic would certainly be pleased if she matched the most successful Czech representative, Mikolas Josef, or even surpassed him.