Ten acts advance from Eurovision Semi‑Final 1 to the Grand Final on May 16

Eurovision is now properly in knockout mode. The first semi-final in Vienna wrapped on Tuesday, May 12, and 10 countries are through to the Grand Final on Saturday, May 16. The big thing is simple — 15 acts competed, 10 survived, and the lineup is already more interesting than some early fan predictions suggested. A few countries came in with serious momentum, but semi-finals are where hype meets televote reality. ### Who got through? The 10 qualifiers from Semi-Final 1 were Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, and Sweden. They were announced in no ranking order, so this is just the reveal sequence, not first through tenth place. The full points split normally comes later, after the contest is over, which means the public gets the drama now and the math later. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Who missed out? That also means five countries are out after one night. The non-qualifiers from the first semi were Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal, and San Marino. That matters because some of those entries had visible fan buzz beforehand, and Eurovision semi-finals are famous for puncturing assumptions fast. A song can dominate previews and still fail once it hits a live TV audience across Europe and the rest-of-world vote. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why were Germany and Italy there too? Germany and Italy appeared in the show, but they were not fighting for qualification. They are automatic finalists as part of the “Big Five” system, which gives France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom direct places in the final because of their financial contribution to the contest. The host country also qualifies automatically, so Austria is already in Saturday’s show too. (eurovisionworld.com) ### How was the semi-final decided? This year’s first semi-final used a mix of national juries, public televoting from participating countries, and the “Rest of the World” online vote, which is counted as one extra voting bloc. That setup matters because Eurovision has spent the last few years tweaking how much power sits with juries versus viewers at different stages of the contest. In practice, it means a song needs to work both as a three-minute TV moment and as something voters will actually back once the recap rolls. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why does this result feel important already? Because Semi-Final 1 usually sets the tone for the week. Sweden and Israel making it through was widely expected, but the full list shows the field is broad — Nordics, Balkans, Baltics, and Western Europe all landed qualifiers. Belgium and Poland getting through also helps make the final less predictable than a chalk-only outcome would have been. Basically, the first half of the final now has both obvious contenders and possible spoiler entries. (eurovisionworld.com) ### What happens next? Semi-Final 2 is next on Thursday, May 14, where another 10 countries will qualify. After that, producers will finalize the Grand Final running order, mixing the semi-final qualifiers with the automatic finalists. Saturday’s final will then feature 26 countries in total — 10 from each semi, the Big Five, and host Austria. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Why do fans care about the running order so much? Because placement can shape momentum. A song that opens strong, lands after a weak stretch, or closes a segment can stick harder in viewers’ heads. Eurovision fans obsess over this for a reason — once the field is set, the contest stops being just about who qualified and starts being about who has the best path to convert attention into points. (eurovisionworld.com) ### Bottom line The first Eurovision 2026 semi-final did what a good semi should do — confirm some favorites, kill off some assumptions, and make Saturday feel less settled than it did a day ago. Now the question is whether Semi-Final 2 adds more chaos or starts to reveal a real winner. (eurovisionworld.com)