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Finland and Israel Advance to Eurovision 2026 Grand Final
Finland advanced as the bookmaker favorite with its violin-accompanied entry while Israel qualified amid audience protests and security removals. Ten countries progressed from Tuesday's semi-final as five others were eliminated, including San Marino's act featuring Boy George.
May 12, 6:43 PM·2m read5 sources
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Finland and Israel qualified for the Eurovision 2026 grand final in the first semi-final held in Vienna. Finland advanced with “Liekinheitin” performed by Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius. Israel progressed with “Michelle” performed by 28-year-old Noam Bettan.
According to the sources, audience members expressed both cheers and negative reactions during the Israeli performance. ORF and the EBU stated they would not censor protests or negative reactions to any contestants. Before the show, Noam Bettan told the Jerusalem Post he was determined to concentrate on the music and relegate criticisms to background noise.
The five countries that did not qualify from the semi-final were Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal and San Marino. Boy George appeared as a guest performer on San Marino's entry “Superstar” performed by Senhit. Linda Lampenius played a 19th Century Gagliano violin live on stage, only the second time a live instrument has been allowed since 1998.
The semi-final opened with a film marking Eurovision’s 70th anniversary featuring past winners including Abba, Sandie Shaw, Conchita Wurst and Nemo. Vicky Leandros, who performed at Eurovision 1967, joined a 70-member choir on stage. The second semi-final is scheduled for Thursday.
The grand final is scheduled for Saturday in Vienna. Austria qualified automatically as the 2025 winner and host country while France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom qualified automatically as the contest’s biggest funders. This is the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland did not participate in the 2026 contest. Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania returned to the contest after skipping it in recent years. Thirty-five countries are participating in the 2026 contest, the lowest number since 2003.
Russia was expelled in 2022. The EBU declined to exclude Israel from the 2026 contest. Five countries announced in December that they would not participate. Voting rules were overhauled for the 2026 contest after accusations of voting irregularities in 2025. Viewers can only vote 10 times, down from 20, and credit card details are required to vote online.
