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Abba's Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson have ruled out a reunion at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in their native Sweden, BBC News reports.

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the band winning the competition with their song Waterloo.

Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the pair also dismissed the idea that they might compose the host nation's entry.

Since Abba won in 1974, Sweden has gone on to win Eurovision six more times, including this year in Liverpool.

Bjorn and Benny - who swore never to tour again and reportedly turned down an offer of $1bn to play 100 shows at the turn of the Millennium - say they do not want to get back together with Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad to perform - even for one night.

"I don't want to," says Andersson, "and if I don't want to, the others won't. It's the same for all four of us - someone says, 'no' - it's a no."

"We can celebrate 50 years of Abba without us being on stage," adds Ulvaeus.

The duo have known each other since 1966 and say their constant desire to write new material and do new things has kept their relationship fresh.

"Because we never stood still none of us has stagnated," explains Ulvaeus, "which so often happens in songwriting duos."

They even say that over the course of 57 years, they have never really fallen out.

"We've had different opinions," says Ulvaeus, "many, many".

"But it doesn't matter," Andersson says, "because what we've achieved together, keeps us together".