The first semi-final of Eurovision 2026 has concluded. Ten countries have successfully navigated the first hurdle to secure their spots in the Grand Final.
Photo: EBU
After months of preparation, rehearsals, and significant external political discourse, the first live show at the Wiener Stadthalle reached its climax this evening. Following a tense voting sequence primarily determined by the global audience, the first ten qualifiers were announced. These nations have guaranteed their presence on the world’s biggest musical stage this coming Saturday.
The Ten Qualifiers From The First Semi-Final (Announced in Random Order):
- Greece
- Finland
- Belgium
- Sweden
- Moldova
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Israel
- Serbia
- Croatia
- Lithuania
- Poland
The full results and detailed point breakdowns for the semi-final will be disclosed, as per tradition, only after the Grand Final has concluded.
What Lies Ahead?
The journey continues this Thursday, May 14th, with the second semi-final. Sixteen additional countries will compete for the remaining ten spots in the final. The twenty successful qualifiers from both nights will join the “Big 4” – the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and France – alongside the host nation, Austria, who triumphed at the 2025 contest. Notably, Spain withdrew from this year’s competition due to the participation of Israel.
Complete First Semi-Final Participant List:
1. Moldova – Satoshi, “Viva, Moldova!”:
2. Sweden – FELICIA, “My System“:
3. Croatia – LELEK, “Andromeda”:
5. Portugal – Bandidos Do Cante, “Rosa”:
6. Georgia – Bzikebi, “On Replay”:
* Italy – Sal Da Vinci, “Per Sempre Si”:
7. Finland – Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen, “Liekinheitin”:
8. Montenegro – Tamara Živković, “Nova Zora”:
9. Estonia – Vanilla Ninja, “Too Epic To Be True”:
10. Israel – Noam Bettan, “Michelle”:
* Germany – Sarah Engels, “Fire”:
11. Belgium – Essyla, “Dancing On The Ice”:
12. Lithuania – Lion Ceccah, “Sólo quiero más”:
13. San Marino – Senhit feat. Boy George, “Superstar”:
15. Serbia – Lavina, “Kraj Mene”
Eurovision 2026 Schedule:
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First Semi-Final: Tuesday, May 12th, at 21:00 CET. -
Second Semi-Final: Thursday, May 14th, at 21:00 CET.
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Grand Final: Saturday, May 16th, at 21:00 CET.
Eurovision 2026: the 70th edition of the contest will take place in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026. The Wiener Stadthalle arena, which will host the event, is expected to accommodate around 16,000 spectators per show. The contest returns to Austria following the nation’s third historic win with the song “Wasted Love”, performed by JJ. It will be Austria’s third time hosting Eurovision, after previous editions held in the country in 1967 and 2015.
