Ten countries — including Croatia, Israel and Finland — advance from Eurovision Semi‑Final 1

Eurovision is back in the part of the week where the contest stops being theory and starts cutting people. The first semi-final ran in Vienna on Tuesday, May 12, and 10 countries made it through to the grand final on Saturday. The list was not the one in your prompt, either — some of those names were wrong. Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden advanced. Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal and San Marino did not. ### So who actually got through? The official qualifier list from Semi-Final 1 was Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden. The five non-qualifiers were Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal and San Marino. Eurovision announces qualifiers in no particular rank order on the night, so “called first” does not mean “finished first.” Full points and placements wait until after the grand final. (eurovision.com) ### What was wrong with the earlier list? A lot, basically. Cyprus and Ukraine were never in Semi-Final 1 at all — they are scheduled for Semi-Final 2 on Thursday, May 14. Portugal and San Marino were listed as qualifiers in the prompt, but both were eliminated Tuesday night. Lithuania, Moldova, Poland and Serbia were the countries missing from that earlier version of events. (eurovision.com) ### How many countries were competing? There were 15 competing songs in the first semi-final. Germany and Italy also performed in the show, but they were not competing for qualification because they are automatic finalists. That matters because the night can look like 17 performances on screen while only 15 are actually fighting for 10 spots. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why does the format matter this year? Because Eurovision changed the semi-final voting mix again. For the first time since 2022, professional juries returned to the semi-finals and joined public televoters. There was also the “rest of the world” online vote. So this was not a pure popularity sprint decided only by viewers at home — it was a hybrid result, which can help cleaner live vocals and tighter staging. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Were there any surprises? Yes — mostly because the eliminations hit countries some fans had penciled in as plausible finalists. Portugal and San Marino missed out, and so did Estonia despite performing late enough in the show to get a fresh reminder effect. But the bigger correction is simpler: some countries people were already talking about as “through,” like Ukraine, had not even sung in this semi. They are still waiting for Thursday. (eurovisionworld.com) ### What happens next? Semi-Final 2 takes place on Thursday, May 14, also in Vienna, with another 15 competing countries chasing the remaining 10 places in the grand final. Cyprus and Ukraine are in that batch, alongside countries including Australia, Austria, Czechia and Norway. The grand final is set for Saturday, May 16. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why should anyone care before the final? Because the semis are where Eurovision’s shape becomes real. They tell you which stagings actually worked in the arena, which fan narratives survived contact with live TV, and which countries now carry momentum into Saturday. But they also leave one big thing unresolved — we still do not know the actual Semi-Final 1 ranking or point totals yet. (eurovision.com) ### Bottom line? The real story from Tuesday night is a corrected one: Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden are in. Everyone else from Semi-Final 1 is out, and the second half of the field still has to fight for the last 10 places on Thursday. (eurovision.com) (eurovisionworld.com)