The Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna hosts the second live show of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This Thursday, May 14, from 21:00 CEST, the remaining 15 countries compete in the second semifinal with the aim of securing one of the last 10 available places for the grand final. As a new feature, the national juries once again have decision-making power in the semifinals, alongside the vote of the viewers (including those from around the world).
Vienna, the European capital of music, is hosting the third Eurovision Song Contest in its history, following the editions of 1967 and 2015. On this occasion, the Wiener Stadthalle once again opens its doors to the musical event, on whose stage 35 countries compete to win the iconic crystal microphone, the lowest number of participants in two decades.
Despite reaching its 70th anniversary, the European contest is taking place in a climate of tension and protests never seen before. Israel’s presence in the competition has led to the largest boycott in its history, with the withdrawal of five countries (Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands) after refusing to share the stage with the Israeli representative.
The city of Vienna is torn between the musical spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest and the protests and demonstrations that have been organized throughout the week in the Austrian capital. Pro-Palestinian activists believe that the European contest cannot serve as a platform for international whitewashing for Israel. Added to this are Israel’s constant attempts to disrupt the balance of the Eurovision voting through massive promotional campaigns, such as the one launched in the days leading up to the live shows, which forced the European Broadcasting Union to intervene in order to stop the promotional strategy.
The competition continues tonight with the second semifinal. In addition to the 15 competing countries, and as has become customary since Malmö 2024, the semifinals will include exhibition performances (non-competitive) by the artists from the Big 4 (Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom) and the host country, in this case, Austria. Although they already have a guaranteed place in the grand final, they still take to the stage to perform their entries in full. In this second semifinal, it is the turn of Monroe (France), COSMÓ (Austria), and LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER (United Kingdom).
In this 70th edition, the host broadcaster ORF has chosen two major names to lead the live shows. Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski are responsible for welcoming viewers from all around the world. In addition, they are joined by Emily Busvine, presenter of the Viennese green room, who will speak with the artists after their performances.
Which countries and artists are participating in the second semifinal of Eurovision 2026? Review the running order
Maintaining its current format with two semifinals, 30 countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 are competing for a place in the grand final on Saturday, May 16. From both semifinals, the 20 finalists (10 from each semifinal) will emerge. In total, 25 entries will compete to win the iconic crystal microphone. Notably, the absence of Spain due to the boycott of the festival over Israel’s participation reduces the number of finalist entries, something that had not happened since Turin 2022, the edition organized by Italy, whose broadcaster is a member of the contest’s “Big” group.
Review the running order of the second semifinal this Thursday, May 14, from 21:00 CEST, below:
| Running Order | Country | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Bulgaria | DARA | «Bangaranga» |
| 02 | Azerbaijan | JIVA | «Just Go» |
| 03 | Romania | Alexandra Căpitănescu | «Choke Me» |
| 04 | Luxembourg | Eva Marija | «Mother Nature» |
| 05 | Czech Republic | Daniel Žižka | «CROSSROADS» |
| FINALIST | France | Monroe | «Regarde!» |
| 06 | Armenia | SIMÓN | «Paloma Rumba» |
| 07 | Switzerland | Veronica Fusaro | «Alice» |
| 08 | Cyprus | Antigoni | «JALLA» |
| FINALIST | Austria | COSMÓ | «TANZSCHEIN» |
| 09 | Latvia | Atvara | «Ēnā» |
| 10 | Denmark | Søren Torpegaard Lund | «Før Vi Går Hjem» |
| 11 | Australia | Delta Goodrem | «Eclipse» |
| 12 | Ukraine | LELÉKA | «Ridnym» |
| FINALIST | United Kingdom | LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER | «Eins, Zwei, Drei» |
| 13 | Albania | Alis Kallaçi | «Nân» |
| 14 | Malta | AIDAN | «Bella» |
| 15 | Norway | JONAS LOVV | «YA YA YA» |
In the semi-finals, the participating countries will be subject to the verdict of the professional jury (49.4%) and the televote plus online vote (50.6%). The viewers from the participating countries, together with those from the “rest of the world” who are not part of the 70th edition of the European contest, will vote (through the new platform vote.eurovision.com). Meanwhile, as a new feature, the expert panels (which increase their composition to seven members) return to the qualifying rounds and will once again decide part of the final result, just as happened until the Turin 2022 edition.
Review the participating (and exhibition) songs of the second semi-final of Eurovision Song Contest 2026
01. Bulgaria: DARA – «Bangaranga»
02. Azerbaijan: JIVA – «Just Go»
03. Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – «Choke Me»
04. Luxembourg: Eva Marija – «Mother Nature»
05. Czechia: Daniel Žižka – «CROSSROADS»
FINALIST | France: Monroe – «Regarde!»
06. Armenia: SIMÓN – «Paloma Rumba»
07. Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – «Alice»
08. Cyprus: Antigoni – «JALLA»
FINALIST | Austria: COSMÓ – «TANZSCHEIN»
09. Latvia: Atvara – «Ēnā»
10. Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – «Før Vi Går Hjem»
11. Australia: Delta Goodrem – «Eclipse»
12. Ukraine: LELÉKA – «Ridnym»
FINALIST | United Kingdom: LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER – «Eins, Zwei, Drei»
13. Albania: Alis Kallaçi – «Nân»
14. Malta: AIDAN – «Bella»
15. Norway: JONAS LOVV – «YA YA YA»
When and where to watch the second semi-final of Eurovision 2026?
The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be broadcast this Thursday, May 14 starting at 21:00 CEST. It is expected to last around 140 minutes, ending at approximately 23:20 CEST.
As usual, the broadcast can be watched live on the 15 participating broadcasters. In addition, it has also been scheduled in some non-participating countries such as the United States (Peacock from NBC), Iceland (RÚV), Kosovo (RTK), North Macedonia (MRT), and Netherlands (AVROTROS). In the case of Spain, only the official signal is available through the Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube without commentary.
In ESCplus, you will be able to follow the broadcast of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on the event page and in our multi-screen system
How does the voting system of the second semi-final of Eurovision 2026 work? Voting system, guests, and how the finalists will be revealed
The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will begin at 21:00 CEST from the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. The show will open with a special performance by the presenters Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, who will comically reinterpret “Wasted Love”, the song with which JJ won the contest in 2025.
After the competing performances together with the exhibition performances from France, Austria, and the United Kingdom, voting will open for viewers from the participating broadcasters, along with those from the rest of the world (who will count as one additional country). Let us remember that the online voting has a fixed cost of €0.99 per vote through the new platform vote.eurovision.com. Meanwhile, the decision of the juries was determined during the jury show held on Wednesday, May 13, during the second general rehearsal of the qualifying round.
During the voting period, the Austrian broadcaster ORF has prepared a special performance by JJ, who will present his new single “Unknown”.
The semi-final will come to a close with the anticipated announcement of the ten qualifiers for the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Following the changes introduced in the previous edition regarding the reveal of the selected countries through a three-way screen format, in 2026 the classic format returns, in which the presenters will simply announce the ten most-voted countries of the qualifying round. In this way, excessive exposure during a moment of great tension in the green room is avoided.