Eurovision 2026 live: What time is the semi-final, running order and which countries are competing – UK Times

If you need a refresher of everything that took place at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, give Mark Beaumont’s review a read, here:

Millions of fans across Europe (and Australia) will be tuning in to see if their nation’s act can bring home the Eurovision trophy this month – but five countries will be noticeably absent from this year’s song contest.

Here’s what’s going on:

Ahead of their performance at tonight’s semi-final, I spoke with Finnish favourites Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, who opened up about the “sad” meaning behind their original song “Liekinheitin”.

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is set to take place this month – but the popular music event remains mired in controversy surrounding the involvement of Israel.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organising body behind Eurovision, has faced calls to ban Israel for three years running, but has each time allowed Israel to remain in the competition.

Meanwhile, Israel’s broadcaster was issued a warning by Eurovision after competition rules with a video asking fans to vote for the country’s act 10 times.

This year the country is being represented by singer Noam Bettan, who will be competing with his song “Michelle”.

Here’s a breakdown of the controversy:

Finland is one of the favourites to win Eurovision 2026, and you’ll get to see them competing in tonight’s semi-final.

Other countries in the contest this evening including Greece’s Akylas with his song ‘Ferto’, Portugal’s Bandidos do Cante (they’re a bit like Portuguese Westlife, I love them), Croatia’s LELEK and Moldova’s brilliant Satoshi.

Here’s the full running order:

This decision is part of a broader boycott, with Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia refusing to send competitors to the 70th iteration of the song competition and opting not to broadcast the final, citing Israel’s war in Gaza. The Netherlands and Iceland are also not sending acts to compete but will still air the final.

Israel’s national broadcaster has received a formal warning from Eurovision organisers after it encouraged viewers to “vote 10 times”.

The Israeli public broadcaster, known as Kan, was found to have broken the rules of the song contest on Friday (8 May) when it shared videos on social media encouraging fans to support its 2026 entry, Noam Bettan.

In the clips, Bettan, who is competing this year with the song “Michelle”, told his fans to use all 10 of their allocated votes to support him in the first semi-final on Tuesday 12 May.

Well, the UK might not have much of a shot but at least things are looking good for Finland. The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest kicks off tonight in Vienna, Austria, with 35 countries vying for the win.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of time, if you’re planning on tuning in: