Five more countries have been eliminated from the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 following Thursday night’s second semi-final in Vienna, while Israel secured a controversial place in Saturday’s Grand Final.
The second semi-final saw 15 countries compete for the remaining ten spots in the final at the Wiener Stadthalle in the Austrian capital, with the results decided through a combination of public and jury voting following rule changes aimed at improving transparency in the contest.
Among the countries advancing to Saturday night’s showpiece were Australia, represented by pop star Delta Goodrem, and Ukraine, whose entry from folk band LELÉKA impressed both viewers and juries.
However, the night ended in disappointment for Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Armenia, Switzerland and Latvia, all of whom were eliminated following the public vote.
Thursday’s semi-final also marked the first chance for audiences to see the United Kingdom’s entry, Look Mum No Computer, perform live on the Eurovision stage.
The act, whose real name is Sam Battle, delivered an energetic rendition of his song Eins, Zwei, Drei, dancing alongside performers dressed as computers while attempting to get the crowd involved with chants of “When I say eins, you say drei.”
As one of Eurovision’s “Big Five” financial contributors, the UK automatically qualifies for the Grand Final alongside France, Germany and Italy. Host nation Austria is also guaranteed a place.
This year’s competition is taking place without Ireland, Spain, Iceland, the Netherlands and Slovenia, after the five broadcasters announced a boycott over the continued participation of Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Inside the Eurovision press centre in Vienna, journalists and content creators from around the world packed into long rows of desks, typing stories, filming reaction videos and live-streaming performances throughout the night.
Eurovision experts attending the contest said this year’s atmosphere feels noticeably different compared with recent editions in Basel and Malmö, where large protests dominated headlines.
While demonstrations have taken place in Vienna this week, they have reportedly been smaller and more subdued, despite a visible police presence around the arena.
Eurovision commentator Matthew Joyce said the atmosphere this year was “quieter”, adding that the absence of Irish, Dutch and Spanish fans was being felt around the city.
“Vienna is definitely missing the energy that the Dutch, Spanish and Irish fans brought,” he said.
Eurovision YouTuber Eurovision Tom also claimed engagement around the contest appeared lower this year, pointing to reduced streaming figures for many competing songs.
“In general, it’s very low within the fandom, with a lot less people engaging this year,” he said.
The controversy surrounding Israel’s participation continued during the second semi-final after the country’s entrant Noam Bettan qualified earlier in the week despite receiving boos from parts of the crowd during Tuesday’s show.
The singer performed his song Michelle to a mixed reception, with audience members reportedly shouting and booing during quieter moments of the performance.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International this week criticised the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for refusing to suspend Israel from the contest, accusing organisers of applying a “blatant double standard” compared with Russia’s exclusion following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Grand Final Running Order, Eurovision Song Contest Vienna 2026
Saturday’s Grand Final will now feature Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Irish viewers tuning into RTÉ on Saturday night will instead be treated to the famous Father Ted Eurovision parody episode A Song For Europe, featuring the iconic performance of My Lovely Horse, as part of the broadcaster’s boycott of the contest.
Irish Eurovision fans will still be able to watch this year’s contest despite RTÉ deciding not to participate in or broadcast the event following controversy surrounding Israel’s inclusion in the competition.
The competition concludes with the grand final on Saturday, 16 May at 8pm.
The easiest and most reliable option will be the official Eurovision YouTube channel, which is expected to stream the contest live worldwide without geo-restrictions.
