Sweden won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with ABBA’s “Waterloo.”
The contest was held on 6 April 1974 at The Dome in Brighton, United Kingdom. ABBA performed fourth and won with a lively pop song inspired by Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat at Waterloo. Their victory became one of Eurovision’s most influential moments because the group later achieved worldwide success.
“Waterloo” received 24 points under the scoring system used at the time. ABBA’s performance included distinctive costumes, energetic staging and a bright, hook-driven arrangement that helped establish the group internationally. The song was released in several languages, although the Eurovision performance was in English.
The result is sometimes remembered simply as an ABBA victory, but the official winning country was Sweden. The win was Sweden’s first Eurovision victory and began the country’s long association with successful entries and music production.