"Eurovision 2026's first semi-final in Vienna has produced its 10 Grand Final qualifiers, including Sweden and Israel, after a public vote. The results were confirmed after Semi-Final 1 at the Wiener Stadthalle on Tuesday (12 May). Austria is hosting Eurovision's 70th year, with 35 countries taking part overall and only 25 places available in Saturday's final. Semi-Final 1 saw 15 countries perform for the first 10 qualifying slots, with Italy and Germany also appearing as automatic qualifiers."
"The 10 qualifying countries from Semi-Final 1 were: Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Maldova, Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland. UK viewers were unable to vote in the first semi-final. The 10 qualifiers were revealed during the live show, but the order they were announced does not reflect the final ranking. The results were announced in a random order and are not indicative of where each country placed in the semi-final."
"The opening act was titled '70 Years of Love', featuring a 70-member choir. When the UK can vote and watch: The second semi-final airs on Thursday 14 May. France and the United Kingdom will perform and vote in that show, and host nation Austria will also perform. Eurovision is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and is one of the world's biggest live televised music events."
"The contest has a long-running association with LGBTQ+ audiences and has helped cement queer pop icons and camp performance traditions in mainstream TV. With extra attention this year amid context about Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and Spain's decision not to broadcast the 2026 contest due to Israel's participation, the line-up is likely to be closely watched ahead of Saturday night. The Eurovision Grand Final airs on Saturday 16 May at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer."
Eurovision 2026’s first semi-final in Vienna produced 10 Grand Final qualifiers after a public vote. The results were confirmed following Semi-Final 1 at the Wiener Stadthalle on Tuesday, 12 May. Austria is hosting Eurovision’s 70th year with 35 countries competing overall and 25 final places available on Saturday. Semi-Final 1 featured 15 countries competing for the first 10 qualifying slots, while Italy and Germany appeared as automatic qualifiers. The 10 qualifiers were Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland. The qualifying order announced during the live show does not reflect final ranking. The second semi-final airs on Thursday, 14 May, with France and the United Kingdom performing and voting, and Austria also performing. The Grand Final airs Saturday, 16 May at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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