Felicia from Sweden has qualified. She performed the song “My System” during the first semi-final of the Eurovision in Vienna on May 12, 2026.
Ten countries, including Greece, Belgium, and Israel, qualified in the first semi-final of the competition in Vienna. Switzerland, with Veronica Fusaro, will compete on Thursday in the second semi-final.
Finland, Greece, and Israel’s favorites sailed to success in Vienna on Tuesday during the first semi-final of the Eurovision song contest. The atmosphere remained festive, despite boycott calls due to Israel’s participation.
Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland also secured their place in Saturday’s final, unlike Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal, and San Marino. Switzerland, with Veronica Fusaro, will join the competition on Thursday in the second semi-final.
11,000 spectators
Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, Finland’s candidates, enthralled the over 11,000 spectators gathered at the Stadthalle in the Austrian capital with their effective duo.
Interviewed on Sunday, they were not stressed about their status as favorites among bettors. “The feeling must come from the heart,” explained the duo, a 56-year-old violinist and a 36-year-old singer, who hit the mark with their song “Liekinheitin” (Flamethrower) performed in Finnish.
Biggest boycott in Eurovision history
Akylas, the candidate from Athens, also won over the audience in his native language with his electro-pop piece denouncing greed and the pursuit of material wealth.
Israeli candidate Noam Bettan, singing in Hebrew, French, and English, also qualified, to the delight of fans. The contest this year is shaken by the biggest boycott in its history due to Israel’s presence, with some countries criticizing Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.
Public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia did not air the program’s live broadcast, described as a “circus” by the Slovenian RTV group. These three countries also decided not to send a candidate, just like Iceland and the Netherlands, who, however, are broadcasting the event in which a total of 35 countries are participating.
Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists placed coffins in the center of the Austrian capital on Tuesday to protest Israel’s participation. “Sure, music should be something universal. Music should bring people together, but not in this way,” said 67-year-old protester Karin Spindlberger.
Anti-Semitic speeches denounced
For Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, “it is very healthy that two points of view can be expressed simultaneously in the same city.” And he declared:
“Everyone respects each other’s space, with Austria being a country that allows everyone to express their point of view, and I think it can be very proud of that.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Amichai Chikli expressed concern in a statement on Monday about a “strong, coordinated resurgence of anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli speeches around Eurovision 2026.”
Second semi-final
In the second semi-final on May 14, Switzerland, Albania, Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Cyprus, Norway, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Latvia will try their luck.
The scores from the juries are combined with the results of a public vote to determine the ten songs qualified in each semi-final. These 20 songs will join the pre-selected titles from Austria, last year’s winner, in Basel, automatically qualified for the final on Saturday.
France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom automatically complete the lineup, due to their status as principal financial contributors. (ag/ats)
