Eurovision Semi‑Final 1 goes live in Vienna — 15 acts compete for 10 spots tonight

Eurovision is back in Vienna tonight, and the actual contest starts now. Semi-final 1 on Tuesday, May 12, is the first live elimination show of the 70th edition, with 15 countries competing for 10 places in Saturday’s Grand Final. Two already-qualified countries — Italy and Germany — also perform during the show, but they are not in danger. The bigger story, though, is that this year’s opener lands under unusual pressure, with protests, broadcaster boycotts, and tight security all tied to Israel’s participation. ### What is actually happening tonight? This is the first of Eurovision’s two semi-finals. The show begins at 21:00 CEST from Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, hosted by Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski. Fifteen acts compete, 10 go through, and the rest are out. Saturday’s final on May 16 will then combine those qualifiers with Austria and the “Big 4” automatic finalists — France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Who performs, and in what order? The running order matters more than fans like to admit. Moldova opens. Then come Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, and Georgia. Italy performs after song 6 as a non-competing finalist. Then it’s Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, and Israel in slot 10. Germany appears after that, also non-competing. The last stretch is Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia closing the night. That means Israel lands in a very visible late-middle slot, while Serbia gets the classic final performance bump. (eurovisionworld.com) ### How does the voting work? In this semi-final, viewers decide. The participating countries vote, and there is also online voting from the “Rest of the World.” The top 10 songs qualify. Jury dress rehearsals still matter for production and calibration, but the key public-facing point tonight is that the field gets cut from 15 to 10 before the final lineup is completed on Thursday. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why are Italy and Germany in the show? Because Eurovision likes to keep the automatic finalists visible before Saturday. Italy performs after Georgia, and Germany after Israel, but neither country is competing for qualification. They are already through by virtue of being in the contest’s biggest financial contributors, alongside France and the UK, while Austria qualifies automatically as host after winning last year. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why is Israel the political fault line again? Because Eurovision’s claim that it is non-political keeps colliding with the real world. Israel is represented tonight by Noam Bettan with “Michelle,” and that appearance has triggered the biggest backlash the contest has faced in years. Multiple broadcasters have boycotted the 2026 edition, and protests in Vienna have centered on whether Israel should have been excluded, as Russia was. (eurovisionworld.com) ### How tense is Vienna? Pretty tense. Vienna police have been preparing for protests, blockades, and disruption attempts, and officials have described Eurovision as one of the biggest security operations they have faced. That changes the feel of the week. The city still has the usual Eurovision branding and fan build-up, but the mood is less pure party, more festival under guard. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Does the 70th anniversary still matter? Yes — and that is part of the weird contrast. The show opens with a film and musical tribute built around Eurovision’s seven-decade history, including “L’amour est bleu” and a cameo from Vicky Leandros. Basically, the producers are trying to frame this as a celebration of the contest’s legacy at the exact moment the event is being pulled into one of its ugliest political fights. (usnews.com) ### Bottom line? Tonight is still a song contest. Ten acts will qualify, five will not, and the usual arguments about staging and draw luck will explode online within minutes. But this opener is also a stress test for Eurovision itself — whether the contest can still sell unity and escapism when the politics outside the arena keep barging in. (eurovisionworld.com)