Country Contest 20

Country Contest 20 Vjeruj san (Trust the dream)
Dates
Quarter-final date	24 October 2018 25 October 2018 17 December 2018 6 February 2019 TBA
Semi-final 1 date	TBA
Semi-final 2 date	TBA
Semi-final 3 date	TBA
Final date	TBA
Host
Venue	Zagreb, Croatia Semi-finals Arena Zagreb Final Stadion Maksimir
Presenter(s)	Severina
Host broadcaster	HRT, CCU
Participants
Number of entries	60 (qualified) 123 (total)
Debuting countries	See debuting countries
Returning countries	Bulgaria Liechtenstein
Withdrawing countries	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Belarus Belgium Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland Georgia Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Morocco Slovakia Sweden Switzerland Netherlands United Kingdom Ukraine
Vote
Voting system	Each country awards two sets of 12, 10, 8–1 points to their 10 favorite countries.
Winning song	Greenland
Country Contest
◄19 21►

The Country Contest 20 will be the twentieth edition of the contest, serving as a jubilee event. As in the tenth edition, the CCU announced that the contest would be welcome to any public broadcaster in the world as long as they are in the UN, or otherwise accepted by the CCU, as long as they are the first in the country to confirm its interest.

Location

Although it is presumed the event will take place in the Zagreb Arena, it is possible that it will be hosted in Stadion Maksimir with a temporary roof being built for the duration of the contest. On 25 October 2018, HRT announced that the semi-finals would be held in Arena Zagreb, with the Grand Finale taking place in a renovated (roof-built) Stadion Maksimir, the following week. HRT stated, "While 22,000 is a good amount of seats for the [Country Contest], such a big and international contest like this edition would never fulfill its potential unless being held in a venue [Stadion Maksimir], which can hold a bigger capacity."

Presenters

On 17 December 2018, HRT announced that Croatian actress and singer Severina would be one of the hosts of the competition. However, it was not revealed how many there would be in total and who else would host.

With Stipe Erceg having hosted the Croatia draw, it was reported that "he would join Severina to host the competition," however HRT denied this by saying that "the other presenters would be announced in due course." However, Erceg confirmed in January 2019 that "HRT did not contact him further." However, HRT stated that they had other hosts lined up for the main event, with him retaining some hosting duties for minor non-televised events.

On 15 January 2019, HRT announced that Croatian-American actor Goran Višnjić would be joining Severina as the second host. It was also revealed that Leona Paraminski would join Severina and Višnjić in a smaller hosting role. It was subsequently reported that Marija Škaričić and Zrinka Cvitešić would also be involved "as hosts". HRT confirmed on 21 January 2019 that Croatian TV show host Dean Pelić would join the others as a host, but at an unspecified role. Ivana Roščić was subsequently rumored as a host, but to no extent.

On 6 February 2019, HRT confirmed following the month of rumors that Croatian actresses Zrinka Cvitešić and Marija Škaričić would join the rest as hosts, in unspecified roles. Additonally, HRT stated that "the hosts would be split between the three semi-finals and Grand Final." HRT also stated that after further negotiations, Stipe Erceg would nevertheless have a hosting role in the contest. Croatian press reported that HRT had wanted a host to support Severina, to ensure for a smooth presentation.

The following were confirmed as presenters:

• Goran Višnjić - actor
• Severina - actress, singer
• Leona Paraminski - actress
• Dean Pelić - TV host
• Zrinka Cvitešić - actress
• Marija Škaričić - actress
• Stipe Erceg - actor

They will host the following shows:

• Semi-final 1: Leona Paraminski and Dean Pelić
• Semi-final 2: Severina and Stipe Erceg
• Semi-final 3: Zrinka Cvitešić and Marija Škaričić
• Grand Final: Goran Višnjić, Leona Paraminski and Zrinka Cvitešić

Format

International competition

The CCU stated that considering the contest is not what it was ten editions ago, the interest level would be "extremely high." As such, 3 semi-finals will no longer be enough. The CCU stated that the amount of participating countries "is expected to be as high as 100 from all over the world." As such, it is likely that continental finals will take place in order to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.

The CCU confirmed that the actual competition itself would be limited to 60 countries, up 2 from the 10th edition. As such, 94 countries would need to battle their spot into the competition, with the top 6 countries from the previous edition having free spots in the Grand Final. Countries which won bidding rounds to host continental finals were also given free spots to the semi-finals as a reward for their hosting. Additionally, the CCU stated that there would be no limit on participating countries, which may even require continental semi-finals if interested countries in 1 continent exceeds 26 participants (case in point, for European countries which will now have to fight their way to the competition).

Kosovo

On 6 September 2018, the CCU announced that they would soon vote to decide the fate of RTK's participation of Kosovo in the contest. The CCU additionally invited broadcasters such as BHRT and RTS for potential settlement or agreement. On 1 October 2018, the CCU announced that after its long and thorough process, that they had accepted RTK and Kosovo into the Union, and would therefore qualify for participation in all of its Original Contests. An unanimous vote reportedly landed in Kosovo's favor, but the exact result was never revealed. The CCU furthermore declined to comment on the Kosovar vote.

Host draw

On 26 December 2018, HRT broadcast live the random draw to determine Croatia's position in the Running Order of the Grand Final. The 30-minute special one-off program, which was hosted by Croat-German actor Stipe Erceg, also featured a live performance from Severina and unveiled more details, including the revelation of the slogan Vjeruj san. The slogan, in English, would mean Trust the Dream or Believe the Dream. At the end of the programme, it became apparent that Croatia would perform in the twenty-seventh position in the Grand Final. The draw took place to prevent potential bias towards the choice of the Croatian running order position.

Semi-final allocation draw

On 6 February 2019, the CCU confirmed alongside HRT that the Allocation Draw would take place at Centar Zamet in Rijeka, Croatia, an indoor venue cable of hosting 2,350 seats. The 54 semi-finalists were divided into five pots, based on their competing continent/region, with the Oceanic countries joining Asia to avoid neighborly and voting bias in the semi-finals.

• Africa: 11 countries
• Pan America: 15 countries
• Asia: 15 countries
• Europe: 13 countries

Additionally, the Big 6 countries were allocated to the semi-finals they would vote in, with two of them voting in each semi-final.

The draw took place in 12 February 2019, with the fifty-four semifinalists allocated into three semi-finals as well as voting finalists. The following day, they were allocated into halves and were shortly confirmed with their running order.

Qualification to competition

Further information: Countries in the Country Contest 20

Six countries are pre-qualified to the Grand Final, for their top six performance in the previous edition, as in previous editions. Another 5 countries are pre-qualified to the semi-finals, for their hosting of their respective continents' qualification final to the competition. The remaining 51 countries are expected to qualify via continental finals, as well as a wildcard round.

Slot allocation

Original slot allocation
Africa: 9+1 slots Pan America: 12+1 slots Asia: 8+1 slots Europe: 16+6+1 slots Big 6 countries: 6 slots Oceania: 2+1 slots Wildcard: 2 slots

The slots were allocated similarly as will be for World Cup 2026, but with an automatic spot for continental hosts, as well as 1 extra slot for Oceania and 2 extra for the renamed wildcard round. However, this system was criticized due to Europe receiving 21 slots, 38% of the total continental slots, compared to FIFA's 35%. Nevertheless, the current FIFA system (to be used until 2022) consists of 42% European slots. As a result, the CCU announced that the Big 6 would count as European slots, reducing them to 10 and giving other continents further slots.

A new slot allocation was furthermore introduced, with each continent (minus Oceania) receiving one extra slot, Europe losing 5, and two added to the wildcard. Europe therefore represents 24% of the competing slots, and 30% of the overall competition.

The wildcard system was introduced on 24 October 2018, which reassured the allocation of four slots for its winners. The wildcard round host was confirmed to be Croatia, which the CCU appointed to "test their hosting skills ahead of the big event", which were already automatically qualified as part of the Big 6. To keep the round minimalistic, the three highest-placing non-qualifiers from each continent would qualify. The 15 participants would then vote, alongside other broadcasting nations. Four countries, regardless of their continent, will then progress.

Continental slot allocation
Slots already selected from are marked in bold.
Africa: 10+1 slots Pan America: 13+1+1 slots Asia: 9+1+1 slots Europe: 11+6+1+1 slots Big 6 countries: 6 slots Oceania: 2+1+1 slots Wildcard: 4 slots Africa: 3+1 slots Pan America: 3 slots Asia: 3 slots Europe: 3 slots Oceania: 3 slots

Table

A total of 31 countries debuted in the contest, marking 52% of the competing countries.

Country	Method of qualification	Date of qualification	Previous best performance
Montenegro	European final hosts	12 July 2018	Fourth place (#01)
Australia	Oceanic final hosts		Runners-up (#06)
Canada	Pan American final hosts		Nineteenth place (#10)
Senegal	African final hosts		None (Debut)
Singapore	Asian final hosts	15 July 2018	None (Debut)
Croatia (hosts)	Big 6 member	5 September 2018	Winners (#19)
Spain			Winners (#12)
Poland			Third place (#19)
Germany			Third place (#17)
Azerbaijan			Runners-up (#07)
Kosovo			Sixth place (#18, #19)
Liechtenstein	European selection qualifier	24 October 2018	Fourth place (#13)
Norway			Sixteenth place (#01)
Iceland			Winners (#03, #17)
Wales			Runners-up (#02 as UK)
Portugal			Winners (#07)
Bulgaria			Fourth place (#07)
Lebanon			Seventh place (#08)
Macedonia			Fifth place (#13)
Scotland			Runners-up (#02 as UK)
France			Winners (#01)
San Marino			Runners-up (#04, #15)
Brazil	Pan American selection qualifier	25 October 2018	Winners (#10)
Greenland			None (Debut)
Curaçao			None (Debut)
Peru			Thirty-fifth place (#10)
Argentina			Eighth place (#10)
Colombia			Fourth place (#10)
Bermuda			None (Debut)
United States			Thirty-sixth place (#10)
Puerto Rico			None (Debut)
Mexico			None (Debut)
Guatemala			None (Debut)
Antigua–Barbuda			None (Debut)
Jamaica			None (Debut)
New Zealand	Oceanic selection qualifier	25 October 2018	Forty-second place (#10)
Papua New Guinea			None (Debut)
China	Asian selection qualifier	17 December 2018	Thirty-second place (#10)
South Korea			Nineteenth place (#10)
Mongolia			None (Debut)
India			None (Debut)
Japan			None (Debut)
Taiwan			None (Debut)
Philippines			Forty-fourth place (#10)
Malaysia			None (Debut)
Qatar			None (Debut)
South Africa	African selection qualifier	6 February 2019	Runners-up (#09, #10)
Mauritius			None (Debut)
Madagascar			None (Debut)
Mali			None (Debut)
Zimbabwe			None (Debut)
Ethiopia			None (Debut)
Botswana			None (Debut)
Malawi			None (Debut)
Mauritania			None (Debut)
Uganda			None (Debut)
Fiji	Wildcard selection qualifier	6 February 2019	None (Debut)
Vietnam			None (Debut)
Cyprus			Fourth place (#18)
Costa Rica			None (Debut)

European selection

Main article: Countries in the Country Contest 20#European semi-finals

A record number of participants from Europe took part, including the debut of England, Scotland and Wales. Bosnia–Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Liberland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Romania and Russia made their return to the contest. A total of 46 countries took part in the selection, with the top 6 from #19 and selection hosts Montenegro automatically qualified from this round. The semi-finals marked notably marked the first non-qualification streak from Luxembourg and Switzerland and the 5th consecutive non-qualification from Finland. The finals marked merrier and stronger streak-ends, and such.

From the final, 11 countries directly progressed to the main competition, whilst three countries qualified for the international wildcard round. The entire Big 6 from #19 also voted here, alongside hosts Montenegro.

Italy was most notably eliminated in the selection, before having participated in every edition and being the most successful country with 3 wins. However, Italy took a wrong turn starting with its worst (23rd) result in #18, followed by non-qualification in the next edition. As a result, Germany became the only country to participate in every edition of the contest.

Additionally, Russia failed to qualify for its first time ever in its 12-edition history, having taken a 7-edition break to return this edition. Greece also broke its 7-edition qualification streak with its early elimination. The only debutant not qualifying, England, also broke its 5-edition qualification streak as UK. Previous edition hosts, Czech Republic, also broke their 4-edition streak with their elimination.

Overall, 27 countries which competed in the previous edition were forced to withdraw. England unsuccessfully debuted and some countries unsuccessfully returned.

Split jury/televote results
Place	Televoting	Points	Jury	Points
1	Portugal	188	Liechtenstein	301
2	Norway	166	Iceland	203
3	Scotland	160	Norway	197
4	Wales	148	Wales	163
5	Bulgaria	144	Lebanon	154
6	Russia	141	Macedonia	151
7	Kazakhstan	132	Slovenia	138
8	Romania	132	Bulgaria	132
9	France	129	San Marino	129
10	Liechtenstein	129	Cyprus	120
11	England	126	Bosnia–Herzegovina	111
12	Lebanon	120	Portugal	111
13	Bosnia–Herzegovina	117	France	108
14	Macedonia	117	Malta	101
15	Greece	114	Greece	98
16	Iceland	114	Scotland	98
17	Malta	111	Belgium	95
18	San Marino	108	Netherlands	83
19	Italy	105	Romania	83
20	Morocco	105	Italy	80
21	Cyprus	101	Morocco	80
22	Slovenia	95	Kazakhstan	77
23	Belgium	83	Czech Republic	74
24	Netherlands	77	Russia	71
25	Czech Republic	71	Ireland	65
26	Ireland	40	England	55

Draw	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
24	Liechtenstein	1	430	Qualify for final competition
15	Norway	2	363
23	Iceland	3	317
16	Wales	4	311
26	Portugal	5	299
10	Bulgaria	6	276
22	Lebanon	7	274
20	Macedonia	8	268
25	Scotland	9	258
03	France	10	237
17	San Marino	11	237
06	Slovenia	12	233	Advance to wildcard round
13	Bosnia–Herzegovina	13	228
19	Cyprus	14	221
21	Romania	15	215
18	Russia	16	212
08	Greece	17	212
04	Malta	18	212
14	Kazakhstan	19	209
05	Italy	20	185
09	Morocco	21	185
12	England	22	181
02	Belgium	23	178
07	Netherlands	24	160
11	Czech Republic	25	145
01	Ireland	26	105

Pan American selection

23 countries took part in this selection, with 13 of them directly progressing and 3 indirectly to the wildcard. 7 countries were eliminated from the competition, notably Venezuela, whom placed 14th in the tenth edition.

Draw	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
15	Brazil	1	188	Qualify for final competition
18	Greenland	2	177
22	Curaçao	3	174
16	Peru	4	165
11	Argentina	5	146
04	Colombia	6	143
13	Bermuda	7	143
05	United States	8	142
12	Puerto Rico	9	140
01	Mexico	10	136
20	Guatemala	11	134
19	Antigua–Barbuda	12	130
17	Jamaica	13	117
23	Cuba	14	109	Advance to wildcard round
08	Costa Rica	15	103
06	Panama	16	103
14	Dominican Republic	17	102
02	Bahamas	18	102
21	Chile	19	89
10	Venezuela	20	78
03	Bolivia	21	59
09	Grenada	22	58
07	Ecuador	23	44

Oceanic selection

5 countries participated in the selection, with 2 of them directly progressing to the competition. The other 3 qualified to the wildcard round. As a result, no countries in this round were eliminated. Following the selection, many argued that only one country should qualify from Oceania, considering the size. The CCU responded, stating "inclusivity is our number one priority, especially when it comes to edition's like this. [New] and [Papua] earned their spots in the competition."

Draw	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
01	New Zealand	1	178	Qualify for final competition
03	Papua New Guinea	2	93
05	Fiji	3	86	Advance to wildcard round
02	Solomon Islands	4	51
04	Vanuatu	5	47

Asian selection

18 countries participated in the selection, with 9 of them directly progressing to the competition. The other 3 qualified to the wildcard round. Six countries were directly eliminated from the competition.

Draw	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
09	China	1	177	Qualify for final competition
16	South Korea	2	167
07	Mongolia	3	161
10	India	4	160
17	Japan	5	158
11	Taiwan	6	155
08	Philippines	7	129
14	Malaysia	8	126
06	Qatar	9	126
04	Thailand	10	116	Advance to wildcard round
01	Vietnam	11	112
05	Uzbekistan	12	111
18	Hong Kong	13	108
13	Pakistan	14	105
15	Laos	14	105
02	Myanmar	16	74
12	Cambodia	17	59
03	Brunei	18	57

African selection

Twenty countries will participate in the selection, making it the third largest selection behind Europe and the Americas. Half of them directly progressing to the competition, with three other countries qualifying to the wildcard round. The seven rest of the countries will be directly eliminated from the competition.

Draw	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
07	South Africa	1	209	Qualify for final competition
08	Mauritius	2	202
16	Madagascar	3	153
10	Mali	4	152
03	Zimbabwe	5	150
01	Ethiopia	6	141
12	Botswana	7	136
18	Malawi	8	132
19	Mauritania	9	122
06	Uganda	10	115
02	Ghana	11	110	Advance to wildcard round
14	Angola	12	108
15	Kenya	13	102
17	Nigeria	13	102
05	DR Congo	15	101
20	Seychelles	16	100
11	Cameroon	17	95
13	Tanzania	18	82
04	Ivory Coast	19	70
09	Mozambique	20	51

Wildcard selection

The top three countries from each continental selection will qualify to the Wildcard selection, as opposed to the normal qualification system. Four countries will qualify for the semi-finals.

2nd	Solomon Islands	X	1st	Fiji	X
3rd	Vanuatu	X		Solomon Islands	X
2nd	Angola	X	1st	Ghana	X
3rd	Kenya	X		Kenya	X
2nd	Vietnam	X	1st	Thailand	X
3rd	Uzbekistan	X		Vietnam	X
2nd	Bosnia–Herzegovina	X	1st	Slovenia	X
3rd	Cyprus	X		Cyprus	X
2nd	Costa Rica	X	1st	Cuba	X
3rd	Panama	X		Costa Rica	X

The five countries which passed from the elimination stage:

• • Two points were required for direct qualification. Fiji, Vietnam and Cyprus therefore qualified. Costa Rica and Ghana rematched for double points.
• Fiji (w GA, VI, CO, l CY; 2)
• Ghana ( w CO, l FI, VI, CY, CO2; -3)
• Vietnam (w GH, CY, CO, l FI; 2)
• Cyprus (w FI, GH, CO, l VI; 2)
• Costa Rica (w GH2, l FI, GA, VI, CY; -3)

The five countries which were eliminated in the second round:

• Solomon Islands
• Kenya
• Thailand
• Slovenia
• Cuba

The five countries which were eliminated in the first round:

• Vanuatu
• Angola
• Uzbekistan
• Bosnia–Herzegovina
• Panama

---

Con. pos	Country	Place	Points	Qualification
1	Fiji	1	2	Qualify for final competition
2	Vietnam	1	2
3	Cyprus	1	2
1	Costa Rica	4	-2
2	Ghana	5	-2
3	Solomon Islands	6
1	Kenya	6
2	Thailand	6
3	Slovenia	6
1	Cuba	6
2	Vanuatu	11
3	Angola	11
1	Uzbekistan	11
2	Bosnia–Herzegovina	11
3	Panama	11

Draw seeds:

1st place

1. Fiji
2. Ghana
3. Thailand
4. Slovenia
5. Cuba

2nd place

1. Solomon Islands
2. Costa Rica
3. Angola
4. Vietnam
5. Bosnia–Herzegovina

3rd place

1. Panama
2. Cyprus
3. Kenya
4. Vanuatu
5. Uzbekistan

Final split

Europe (16) Azerbaijan Croatia Cyprus France Germany Iceland Kosovo Liechtenstein Montenegro Norway Poland Portugal San Marino Scotland Spain Wales

Pan America (6) Argentina Brazil Canada Curaçao Greenland Peru Asia (4) China Japan Mongolia Vietnam

Africa (2) South Africa Zimbabwe Oceania (2) Australia New Zealand

Semi-finals

Semi-final 1

Azerbaijan and Poland will also vote in this semi-final. The top seven overall countries qualified to the Grand Final, with the separate Rest of the World vote being used to select the eighth qualifier.

Draw	Country	Place	Points
01	New Zealand	2	164
02	Philippines	17	68
03	Canada	5	145
04	Mexico	13	122
05	Fiji	9	134
06	Mongolia	7	141
07	United States	12	125
08	Norway	1	216
09	Malawi	14	116
10	Ethiopia	16	90
11	Costa Rica	15	102
12	Iceland	6	142
13	Wales	3	147
14	Madagascar	18	63
15	San Marino	10	133
16	Peru	4	146
17	India	11	131
18	Mauritius	8	139

Semi-final 2

Germany and Kosovo will also vote in this semi-final. The top seven overall countries qualified to the Grand Final, with the separate Rest of the World vote being used to select the eighth qualifier.

Draw	Country	Place	Points
01	Botswana	10	128
02	Singapore	15	95
03	Mauritania	18	87
04	Mali	12	114
05	Curaçao	6	136
06	Liechtenstein	5	142
07	Antigua–Barbuda	17	91
08	Colombia	13	105
09	Malaysia	16	92
10	South Africa	1	185
11	France	4	150
12	Brazil	3	183
13	Scotland	7	133
14	Vietnam	2	184
15	Qatar	8	132
16	Macedonia	9	132
17	Puerto Rico	14	105
18	Japan	11	127

Semi-final 3

Croatia and Spain will also vote in this semi-final. The top seven overall countries qualified to the Grand Final, with the separate Rest of the World vote being used to select the eighth qualifier.

Draw	Country	Place	Points
01	Papua New Guinea	13	93
02	Lebanon	12	102
03	Bulgaria	11	110
04	Senegal	16	83
05	Cyprus	4	154
06	Taiwan	14	92
07	Zimbabwe	9	119
08	Argentina	5	128
09	Portugal	2	207
10	Greenland	1	358
11	Guatemala	8	119
12	Bermuda	18	67
13	China	6	124
14	Jamaica	15	92
15	Australia	3	159
16	Montenegro	7	120
17	Uganda	17	76
18	South Korea	10	118

Final

The 24 qualifiers from the three semi-finals, as well as the top 6 of the previous edition took part. This which marked the grand final of the edition to be the largest in the competition's 20 edition history. For the first time, non-participants were also invited to vote. As a result, all countries which competed in the main competition voted, alongside most competitors which did not pass their regional continental selection. The Rest of the World vote was effectively removed, for the edition, as was no longer necessary.

The CCU confirmed on 18 February 2019 that 34 of the 63 countries which failed to qualify would vote alongside the 60 participating countries.

Controversially, this edition marked the first edition since #15 to have the jury favorite win instead of public favorite. As in #15, the winning country only placed 12th with the public vote.

Split jury/televote results
Place	Televoting	Points	Jury	Points
1	Australia	305	Greenland	403
2	France	294	Norway	300
3	Norway	278	Portugal	273
4	Vietnam	262	Australia	267
5	South Africa	256	Liechtenstein	251
6	Portugal	234	New Zealand	224
7	Canada	229	Cyprus	207
8	Peru	218	Wales	207
9	Croatia	218	France	207
10	Germany	207	Spain	202
11	Spain	202	Argentina	185
12	Greenland	196	San Marino	185
13	Japan	191	Montenegro	185
14	Brazil	185	Curaçao	180
15	Poland	174	Vietnam	180
16	Wales	169	Scotland	169
17	Mongolia	169	Peru	164
18	Azerbaijan	164	Croatia	164
19	Argentina	158	South Africa	158
20	Cyprus	153	Iceland	153
21	Scotland	147	Zimbabwe	147
22	Iceland	147	Canada	147
23	China	142	Germany	136
24	Liechtenstein	142	Poland	136
25	New Zealand	120	Brazil	131
26	Montenegro	114	Mongolia	120
27	San Marino	109	Azerbaijan	114
28	Zimbabwe	104	Kosovo	98
29	Kosovo	87	Japan	93
30	Curaçao	76	China	55

Draw	Country	Place	Points
01	Brazil	19	316
02	China	29	197
03	Zimbabwe	28	251
04	New Zealand	15	344
05	Cyprus	14	360
06	Spain	8	404
07	Curaçao	27	256
08	Portugal	4	507
09	Scotland	18	316
10	South Africa	7	414
11	Argentina	17	343
12	Azerbaijan	26	278
13	Japan	25	284
14	Canada	12	376
15	San Marino	23	294
16	Liechtenstein	9	393
17	Wales	13	376
18	Peru	10	382
19	Germany	16	343
20	Montenegro	22	299
21	Norway	2	578
22	Australia	3	572
23	Iceland	21	300
24	Poland	20	310
25	Kosovo	30	185
26	Mongolia	24	289
27	Croatia	11	382
28	Greenland	1	599
29	Vietnam	6	442
30	France	5	501

Other countries

Further information: List of countries in the Country Contest

Active CCU members

• Northern Ireland – On 16 October 2018, BBC Northern Ireland confirmed that the country would not attempt at debuting in the current edition, but would observe the contest.
• Vatican City – On 4 October 2018, VR reiterated that Vatican City would no longer be participating in the contest, and once again stated that "[they] never meant to be a regular participant in [the contest]."

Non-CCU members

• Haiti: On 24 September 2018, TNH confirmed that Haiti would not comepete in the edition, following growing speculation. The country is the most populous in the Americas to not compete.