Eurovision semi-finals: What to expect, how to watch and who is among favourites to win
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Discord over Israel's participation and its war in Gaza has dominated the build-up to this year's Eurovision Song Contest. Now, on the eve of the start of the semi-finals, here’s a breakdown of who's set to perform when and what to expect.
The semi-finals and the Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the Austrian capital, Vienna, this week from 12 to 16 May 2026.
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Some have described the world's biggest song competition as the “Olympics of pop music” due to its size, scale and sheer ambition, not to mention its ability to bring people together in celebrations or commiserations.
Its unifying nature, intense fan culture and diverse musical acts often lead to both quirky discoveries and breakout hits. And we've not yet even mentioned the often spectacular stage shows...
However, this year is the potentially its most controversial edition, with five countries, Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, boycotting Eurovision because of Israel's inclusion.
Spain's absence carries the most weight as it's one of the “Big 5” nations which are automatically guaranteed a place in the Grand Final due to their financial contributions to Eurovision.
Tensions have been raised further by allegations of an Israeli government agency conducting a paid-for online advertising campaign to increase votes for its entry. In response, the organising European Broadcasting Union reduced the maximum votes per person from 20 to 10 and banned third parties, including governments, from active promotion.
Nonetheless, thousands of fans from more than 70 countries are in Vienna for the semi-finals, and others expected to arrive later this week. With 95,000 tickets for nine shows already having been sold, this edition is the largest live Eurovision audience in several years.
Pop, politics and controversies
While the Eurovision Song Contest is much beloved and anticipated every year, none of the countries who are boycotting the contest will broadcast the event. Slovenia has also decided to air a “Voices of Palestine” documentary series instead.
Belgium, Finland and Sweden had also threatened to boycott over Israel's participation but at time of writing look likely to air the contest.
RelatedAn open letter supported by prominent musical figures like Massive Attack, Paloma Faith and Kneecap also accused the European Broadcasting Union of whitewashing the Gaza crisis.
Controversy has also been stirred by some of the acts themselves such as Romania's entrant Alexandra Căpitănescu, whose song Choke Me has been heavily criticised for allegedly promoting violent strangulation during sex.
However, the singer has maintained that the song does not refer to anything sexual, but is more about "taking back control over anxiety and emotions that are choking you."
How to watch the Eurovision semi-finals
Now, if you're planning to follow all the music, fun and festivities at the ceremony in the comfort of your own home, here's our guide of what to expect at the Eurovision semi-finals.
There will be two live semi-finals on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May.
The first will feature 17 countries, with the second having 18 countries. The best 10 of each set will proceed to the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May.
In addition to being broadcast by participating national broadcasters, the contest is free to stream on YouTube in most regions.
People in participating countries can vote by SMS or phone, by following on-screen instructions during broadcasts, or on www.esc.vote, where voters from non-participating countries can also vote.
Viewers will have a maximum of 10 votes each, which can all be spent on one country or distributed among up to 10 different countries. However, they will still not be allowed to vote for their own countries.
The semi-finals will also feature a range of opening and interval acts, such as a 70-member choir performing a tribute to L’amour Est Bleu and a special film celebrating the contest’s 70th anniversary.
Who’s in and who’s out
The first semi will see Moldova, Estonia, Sweden, Israel, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Belgium, Portugal, Lithuania, Georgia, San Marino, Italy, Poland, Finland, Serbia and Montenegro battle it out for a spot in the Grand Final.
The second semi-final will feature Bulgaria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Romania, Denmark, Luxembourg, Australia, Czech Republic, Ukraine, France, UK, Armenia, Albania, Switzerland, Malta, Cyprus and Norway.
Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova are new entrants to this year’s line-up.
Dress rehearsals, Jury shows and family shows
After Sunday night's opening ceremony, the official dress rehearsal for the first semi-final will be held on Monday 11 May between 15:45 and 18:30.
The second dress rehearsal is scheduled for 21:00 to 23:15. This is the Jury Show for semi-final one, which is essentially the most important rehearsal, allowing national juries to watch performances and cast their votes. It is considered as crucial as the first show itself, as the Jury Show decides 50% of the vote.
The Family show for the first semi-final one will take place on Tuesday 12 May, before the live broadcast. It will be open to the public, and will be almost exactly the same as the live show, complete with hosts and interval acts, but with a fake voting, as a way to ensure a last technical check of the systems.
The Jury show for second semi will be held on Wednesday 13 May, with the Family show being scheduled for 14 May.
Who are the favourites?
For the first semi-final, Finland’s Liekinheitin by Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen is the top bookie favourite, according to Eurovisionworld, followed by Greece’s Ferto by Akylas.
Sweden’s My System by Felicia is the third favourite, followed by Israel’s Michelle by Noam Bettan and Moldovan entry Viva, Moldova by Satoshi.
Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania, Montenegro and Poland have also cracked the top 10 among bookie favourites from the first semi-final.
For the second semi-final, Australia’s Eclipse by Delta Goodrem is the top favourite currently for a spot in the Grand Finale currently, followed by Denmark’s Før Vi Går Hjem by Søren Torpegaard Lund and Ukraine’s Ridnym by LELÉKA.
Romania’s Choke Me by Alexandra Căpitănescu is the third favourite, followed by Cyprus’ Jalla by Antigoni and Bulgaria’s Bangaranga by Dara.
Malta, Norway, Czech Republic, Albania and Switzerland also have high odds of bagging final spots, according to bookies.
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