There were 15 nations in the running on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 for the first semi-final of the Eurovision. All shared one goal: to secure a place in the final of the song contest alongside France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It’s worth noting that these countries, the famed Big Four of Eurovision—with Austria joining this year—automatically advance and skip the nerve-wracking semi-finals.
While many eagerly await the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, others are keen to learn who will become finalists of this 70th edition of Eurovision.
Additionally, the first of the two semi-finals was to be watched live from Vienna this Tuesday evening on France 4 and on the contest’s YouTube page. It pitted 15 countries against each other: Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland (leading the favorites this year), Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland and Serbia. So, which nations booked their tickets to the grand final? Here are the 10 countries selected on Tuesday night for the final showdown!
Unfortunately, Portugal, Georgia, Montenegro, Estonia and San Marino were not selected in this first semi-final and will therefore not participate in the grand final on May 16.
Just a reminder that the second semi-final is scheduled for Thursday, May 14, and will again see 15 countries compete, including Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta and Norway. During this second semi-final, the French, Austrian and British entrants will perform their acts live.
Eurovision 2026: here's the running order for the semi-finals
Ahead of Eurovision’s grand final scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, contestants will have to pull out all the stops in the dreaded semi-finals, set for Tuesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 14. So, which country will open the festivities? When will the Finnish duo, this year’s big favorite, perform their song? Answer with the semi-final running order! [Read more]
Eurovision returns this week with a grand final you won’t want to miss on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Before that, viewers will be able to watch the semifinals live from Vienna. So, what time and on which channel can you follow these two stages scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 14? We’ve got you covered. [Read more]
Official website
eurovision.tv
Eurovision 2026: here's the running order for the semi-finals
Eurovision 2026: which channel will broadcast the semifinals, and what time will they be live?
