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Eurovision Song Contest 2026 semi-final running order - Who is performing when?

The time has come!

A woman stood on stage wearing a white gown with one arm in the air.

Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP via Getty Images

Published: Thursday, 14 May 2026 at 10:05 am

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Calling Vienna... it's Eurovision time! That's right, the second of the semi-finals kicks off later tonight as Europe's biggest celebration of music returns - now in its 70th year!

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Tonight (14 May), will see the second lot of 16 entrants take to the stage to perform to the best of their abilities in a bid to qualify for the grand final.

As ever, only 10 spots are up for grabs, so it's truly all to play for. Also performing tonight are the pre-qualified France and United Kingdom, two of the entrants part of the Big Four, as well as reigning champions Austria.

Tonight's show will open with hosts Victoria and Michael taking on on JJ’s high octane 2025 winning song Wasted Love, and later JJ will take the stage to present viewers with a brand new song.

For audiences in the UK, the contest kick-starts at 8pm, featuring commentary from Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon.

But who exactly are performing when? Scroll on to find out the running order of both the Eurovision 2026 semi-finals taking place.

Eurovision 2026 semi-final 2 running order

Below is your handy guide for the the two Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals.

  1. Bulgaria, Dara
  2. Azerbaijan, JIVA
  3. Romania, Alexandra Căpitănescu
  4. Luxembourg, Eva Marija
  5. Czechia, Daniel Žižka
  6. France, Monroe
  7. Armenia, SIMÓN
  8. Switzerland, Veronica Fusaro
  9. Cyprus, Antigoni
  10. Austria, COSMÓ
  11. Latvia, Atvara
  12. Denmark, Søren Torpegaard Lund
  13. Australia, Delta Goodrem
  14. Ukraine, LELÉKA
  15. United Kingdom, Look Mum No Computer
  16. Albania, Alis
  17. Malta, AIDAN
  18. Norway, JONAS LOVV

Eurovision 2026 semi-final 1 running order

  1. Moldova, Satoshi
  2. Sweden, FELICIA
  3. Croatia, LELEK
  4. Greece, Akylas
  5. Portugal, Bandidos do Cante
  6. Georgia, Bzikebi
  7. Italy, Sal Da Vinci
  8. Finland, Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen
  9. Montenegro, Tamara Živković
  10. Estonia, Vanilla Ninja
  11. Israel, Noam Bettan
  12. Germany, Sarah Engels
  13. Belgium, ESSYLA
  14. Lithuania, Lion Ceccah
  15. San Marino, SENHIT
  16. Poland, ALICJA
  17. Serbia, LAVINA

The Eurovision Song Contest has faced significant criticism over its decision to allow Israel to take part in the event due to the ongoing war in Gaza.

This year, a number of countries will boycott the contest following the European Broadcasting Union’s decision not to expel Israel from the competition.

At the EBU general assembly in December 2025, a vote was held to introduce new rules that would stop governments and third parties from disproportionately promoting songs to influence voters. No vote was held on Israel’s participation.

The EBU said in a statement: "A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place."

Following this, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland confirmed they would not participate in this year’s Eurovision.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ said: "RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk."

The BBC, which broadcasts the competition in the UK, has said it supports the decision made by the EBU. "This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive," it said in a statement.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 final will take place on Saturday 16 May 2026.

You can also check out the full list of Eurovision winners and how many times the UK has won Eurovision.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of Katelyn Mensah, smiling against a lime green background.

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

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