In Vienna everything is ready for the most brazen, sentimental and politically sensitive ritual in European music. THE’Eurovision Song Contest 2026 officially opens its live week on Tuesday May 12that 9.00pm CESTfrom the Wiener Stadthallewith the first semi-final of a particularly symbolic edition: the seventieth in the history of the competition. After Austria’s triumph in 2025 with JJ and his Wasted Lovethe festival thus returns to the Austrian capital with three evenings: first semi-final on 12 May, second semi-final on 14 May and grand finale on Saturday 16 May.
They will be on stage Victoria Swarovski And Michael Ostrowskicalled to drive a television machine which, as always, is not just a musical competition but a gigantic mirror of Europe: of its tastes, its fractures, its desires for lightness and its most cumbersome tensions. Because Eurovision remains this: a pop party where a high note can be worth more than a diplomatic speech, but where every choice, every flag, every applause and every whistle inevitably ends up telling something bigger than the song itself.
First semi-final: 15 countries competing for 10 places in the final
The first evening will see 15 countries contend 10 seats for the final on May 16th. The official exit order includes Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland and Serbia. To these will be added, outside the competition for the semi-final, also the performances of Italy And Germanyalready qualified for the final as part of the countries with direct access to the last act.
Italy, therefore, will not have to win the pass in the first evening. Sal Da Vincicompeting with Forever Yesis already expected in the final on Saturday, but will still go on stage in Vienna to present the song to the European public. A step that is anything but secondary: in a Eurovision increasingly dominated by immediate recognisability, visual impact and the ability to construct a narrative in the few minutes allowed, the performance in the semi-final can weigh heavily on the imagination of the final.
Finland ahead of everyone: Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen looking for the big shot
Among the most observed names of the first semi-final there is above all the Finlandrepresented by Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen with Liekinheitin. The duo arrives in Vienna with the favorable indicators of the day before and with a powerful narrative: to bring the title back to Finland twenty years after the last victory, that of Lordi in 2006. It is not only a question of potential ranking, but of Eurovisual memory: when Finland manages to impose itself, it often does so by breaking the sonic etiquette of the competition and transforming anomaly into identity.
Behind him, in the race for the ten available places, the chances of the team also appear particularly solid Greeceentrusted to Akylas with Fertoand of Israelrepresented by Noam Bettan with Michelle. Sweden, which has an almost industrial relationship with Eurovision, returns to the semi-finals with FELICIA And MySystemcarrying with it the weight of a very strong recent tradition and the usual question: how much more can a country that knows how to read the language of the contest better than anyone else surprise?
Loose mines: Croatia, Moldova, Serbia and San Marino
In the most interesting block of the evening there are proposals capable of shifting the public’s mood. There Croatia focuses on the ethno-pop energy of LELEK with Andromedawhile the Moldova opens the semi-final with Satoshi And Long live, Moldova!not a simple but potentially effective position if the song manages to transform the initial impact into television memory. There Serbia bring the metal band instead LAVINA with Kraj Menea harder, less accommodating choice, but precisely for this reason interesting in a lineup that alternates national identities, dance pop and more theatrical moments.
Then there is San Marinowhat a team Senhit with Superstarpaired with Boy George. The name is familiar to the Eurovision audience, the character is recognisable, but the road to the final remains complicated: in such a dense semi-final, a performance capable of going beyond the nostalgia effect and establishing itself as an independent television moment will be needed. Also Montenegro, Lithuania, Poland And Georgia they move into a more uncertain area, where everything will depend on the live performance, the televoting and the way in which the jury will read vocal construction, staging and overall coherence.
Sal Da Vinci lights up social media after the rehearsal spoiler
Meanwhile, outside the official match of the first semi-final but already fully part of the European conversation, Sal Da Vinci conquered social media after the circulation of the spoilers of the tests at Eurovision. The video of the performance lit up platforms and fan communities in just a few hours, becoming one of the most commented and shared contents of those linked to the contest. What was especially striking was the combination between the artist’s recognizable vocalism and the scenic impact of the performance, capable of intercepting not only the Italian public but also an increasingly curious international audience.
An enthusiasm which, according to sector observers, is also being reflected in the forecasts of the day before, with Italy growing in the evaluations of professionals. Better, however, not to rush too much: at Eurovision, virality can change everything, but superstition remains a form of national intelligence. In the meantime, the wait is also growing Forever yesthe new album out on May 29thprelude to a live season that will take Da Vinci to major Italian shows and stages, up to the hat-trick event atFlegrean Arena of 25, 26 and 27 September.
The return of the weight of the juries in the semi-finals
One of the central innovations of the 2026 edition is the return of professional juries in the semi-finalstogether with the public vote. It is the first time since 2022 that the juries return to contribute to the choice of the qualifiers even before the final, a change that can have a significant impact on the balance: it is no longer enough just to generate noise, go viral or turn on televoting, but the technical evaluation of the performance also comes back to weigh.
This means that some more vocal, elegant or structured entries could find an ally in the juries’ vote, while the more eccentric proposals will have to prove that they are not only memorable, but also solid. It’s the usual Eurovision paradox: winning attention is easy for three minutes, but really convincing Europe is another matter.
A pop edition, but also very political
Eurovision 2026 arrives in a particularly delicate climate. Israel’s participation has already ignited protests and tensions, with Viennese authorities pledging increased security and particular attention around the city’s most sensitive areas.
It is the less light-hearted, but now inseparable, side of the competition. Eurovision continues to proclaim itself “United by Music”, but every year it demonstrates how music, especially when it passes through national identities, popular votes and collective symbols, is anything but neutral. Vienna, in this sense, is not just hosting a festival: it is hosting a small emotional assembly of Europe, with sequins, fires, very high notes and exposed nerves.
Italy is already looking to the final
For Italy the first semi-final will above all be a strategic showcase. Sal Da Vinci he doesn’t have to earn his place in the final, but he has to start settling his candidacy in the memory of the European public. Forever Yes enters the competition with a clearly Italian, sentimental and melodic identity, and will have to find a way to stand out in an edition in which the competition seems to play a lot on scenic impact, on the contamination of genres and on immediate recognisability.
The real question, for the evening of May 12th, will therefore be double: who will be able to gain the ten passes to the final and who, despite not yet being in the running for victory, will be able to impose their story before Saturday. Because Eurovision, in the end, doesn’t just reward the best song. Reward the song that, in a week, manages to seem inevitable.
