Australia to open Eurovision Semi-Final 2 as organizers publish running order

The European Broadcasting Union has set Australia to open Eurovision 2026’s second semi-final and Finland to close the show on Thursday, according to the published running order for the Vienna contest. The line-up covers 15 competing countries in the second heat, which will send 10 acts through to Saturday’s Grand Final. (eurovisionworld.com) Austria, this year’s host country and an automatic finalist, is scheduled to appear mid-show as part of the non-competing performances. Thursday’s semi-final is the second of three live Eurovision broadcasts this week from Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. The show starts at 21:00 CEST, and viewers in the participating countries, along with online voters in the “Rest of the World,” will decide which 10 songs advance. (eurovisionworld.com) France and the United Kingdom, both already qualified for the final, are also listed to perform during the broadcast and to vote in this semi-final alongside Austria. ### Which countries are competing in the second semi-final? Semi-Final 2 includes Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, Czechia, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta and Norway, according to the published running order. (eurovisionworld.com) The order reflects the producer’s sequencing after the January allocation draw split countries into first-half and second-half groups rather than fixed song positions. January 12 determined only which countries would appear in each semi-final and in which half of the show they would perform. The producing broadcaster, Austria’s ORF, then set the final running order, subject to EBU approval. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Where does Australia appear, and who closes the show? Australia is scheduled in slot 11, according to the official running order published for the second semi-final. Norway has been placed in slot 15, making it the closing competing entry of the night. The published order also places Luxembourg fourth, Czechia fifth, Armenia sixth and Malta fourteenth. (eurovisionworld.com) Austria appears after song eight, while France performs after song five and the United Kingdom after song 12 as the three pre-qualified countries attached to this semi-final. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why is Austria in the show if it is already in the final? Austria is this year’s host because Austrian singer JJ won Eurovision 2025 with “Wasted Love,” giving the country automatic qualification for the 2026 Grand Final. As host, Austria does not compete in the semi-final but still performs in Thursday’s broadcast and votes in it. (eurovisionworld.com) The same arrangement applies to France and the United Kingdom in Semi-Final 2. Eurovision’s format for 2026 keeps the host country and the “Big 4” — France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom — pre-qualified for the final, while assigning them to one of the two semi-finals for preview performances and voting. (eurovisionworld.com) ### How does voting work on Thursday night? Semi-Final 2 will qualify the top 10 songs to the Grand Final on May 16. Eurovisionworld’s event page says the semi-final result is decided by televoting in the participating countries plus online voting from the “Rest of the World.” (eurovision.tv) Thursday’s show is one of three live broadcasts in Vienna this week, following the first semi-final on May 12 and preceding the Grand Final on May 16. After the second semi-final ends, ORF and the EBU are due to determine and publish the Grand Final running order, with Austria already assigned to perform last in slot 25. (eurovisionworld.com 1) (eurovisionworld.com 2) (eurovisionworld.com 3)