Eurovision 2026 semi-final 2 kicks off on Thursday, 14 May at 8 p.m. UK time. It will be broadcast live from the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. Fifteen countries are competing in the second leg for ten spots in the Grand Final on 16 May. Follow all the action and check the latest Eurovision Song Contest odds at 7bet. Vienna is ready to host the 70th anniversary edition, after Austria’s JJ won the 2025 trophy in Basel with “Wasted Love”. On Thursday, 14th May, 15 countries will take the Wiener Stadthalle stage, and 10 will leave with a ticket to Saturday’s final. The second semifinal has a strong lineup. We have a superstar Australian pop icon making her Eurovision debut, an emotional Ukrainian entry, a ballad from Denmark, soft rock from Switzerland, and several more dark horses that could easily cause an upset. France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and last year’s winner, Austria, have automatically qualified for the Grand Final. Three of these countries – Austria, France, and the UK – will perform as non-competing acts during the second semifinal. They also have voting rights. This is in addition to the 15 competing countries, which get to vote for their favourite performance (apart from their own). The new 2026 rules expand national juries from five to seven members. Out of these, at least two jury members are required to be aged 18 to 25, to broaden the range of tastes reflected in the professional vote. The show will open with hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski attempting to perform “Wasted Love,” before JJ takes the stage to debut a new single. It already sounds like a night to remember! Below, we give you the running order of the Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2. Best ESC result: 2nd place (2017) Result in 2025: Did not compete Bulgaria has returned to the Eurovision after a three-year absence due to financial constraints. They will be opening the semifinal, which is already a lot of pressure, but pop singer DARA seems fully prepared. DARA will perform “Bangaranga” with her team of dancers. The choreography is inspired by the ancient Bulgarian Kukeri tradition, which is essentially the ritual of driving away evil spirits. The staging is split into two acts: the first is a tense, unsettling home setting. In the second act, DARA breaks free and leads her team into an explosive dance to dispel darkness. DARA is a powerful vocalist, and “Bangaranga” has been co-written by Dimitris Kontopoulos, who has worked on multiple strong Eurovision entries over the years. Add to that a spectacular stage performance! Bangaranga might just be the banger that gets the audience vote. Best ESC result: 1st place (2011) Result in 2025: Semifinal (15th) First things first, the name is pronounced “jee-va,” (like diva). Which, honestly, feels entirely appropriate once you see what she’s bringing to Vienna. JIVA will kick off her “Just Go” performance by emerging from a cloud of smoke in an exquisite sequined gown. The song is a heartbreak ballad, so the opening seems fitting. The staging leans hard into romantic drama with billowing fabric everywhere, a nighttime home setting, and black-and-white footage of a broken relationship playing out on the screens behind her. JIVA won the third season of The Voice Azerbaijan. She has chosen a classic ballad for the semis, as opposed to the higher-energy acts that other contestants are bringing. Her song has a timeless quality, but will it be enough to win over the judges? In our opinion, it will depend on how her act stands out on the stage. Azerbaijan won Eurovision in 2011 with Ell & Nikki, but has not had many memorable moments since. Maybe JIVA’s dramatic staging will create that final impact. Best ESC result: 3rd place (2005, 2010) Result in 2025: Did not compete Romania is back after a two-year gap, and they mean business with “Choke Me”. Alexandra Căpitănescu’s first rehearsal looked practically broadcast-ready. You could have put it out on Thursday, and nobody would have questioned it! The concept behind “Choke Me” is built around breath. You will hear her sharply inhaling and exhaling as she shows a battle between her own thoughts. It’s played out with six people on stage – herself, a four-piece band, and a mysterious sixth presence whose identity is being kept under wraps for now. You’ll see Alexandra in full black leather with shoulder details, strappy extensions coiling around her arms, and knee-high boots. The stage will be threaded with glowing electric tubes that pulse with current. The entire vibe is strikingly goth! The theme is clearly dark and provocative, but maybe that’s what Romania needs to get noticed as they return to the stage after two years. Best ESC result: 1st place (1961, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1983) Result in 2025: 13th in Grand Final Luxembourg managed a solid return to Eurovision last year after decades away, and Eva Marija has wasted no time in levelling up her song “Mother Nature” for the international stage. The stage will have butterflies, birds, blossoming buds, and nature’s full chaos brought to life around her. Eva will act as a musical conductor of the natural world, coaxing everything into bloom as she moves around the stage. Eva will be in a floaty, layered gown that will billow and flow exactly the way you’d imagine for a song called “Mother Nature”. The song and the performance lean towards joy and warmth. Whether that translates into enough jury and televote support in a semi-final this competitive is the real question, because Luxembourg is up against some heavy hitters in the first half. What works in their favour is that “Mother Nature” has a different emotional register from most of the songs in the first half. Best ESC result: 6th place (2018) Result in 2025: Semifinal (12th) Czechia has had an inconsistent run at Eurovision. They were brilliant in 2018 with Mikolas Josef, but only half decent in other years. They failed to reach the finals last year. Daniel Zizka’s “Crossroads” might be the course correction they need. The song opens slowly (maybe a little too slowly!), but it builds into something vocally impressive. Daniel Zizka has a thing for mirrors. If you’ve seen the music video for “Crossroads,” you’ll already know this. He is set to bring the same obsession to the stage. There are mirrors everywhere. A four-piece prop will be moved in and out by four dancers to create constantly shifting reflections, light tricks, and camera illusions. And yet, for all the visual spectacle, the thing that stood out the most in the rehearsal was Daniel’s voice. His live delivery sounds exactly like the studio recording. The closing ten seconds in particular will be worth watching! Czechia will have the last competitive act before France’s interlude. If Daniel Zizka delivers vocally, his country should have a real shot at qualifying. Best ESC result: 4th place (2008, 2014) Result in 2025: Semi-Final (20th) SIMON was the runner-up at the Armenian national selection in 2025 and secured the 2026 nomination through an internal process. His song, “Paloma Rumba”, is about desperately wanting to quit your job. The staging is an office setting stacked high with boxes of paper. Once SIMÓN gets going, papers will start flying everywhere. He will backflip, do a victory pose on top of his colleagues, and at one point hang upside down. The entire thing is a celebration of finally escaping a life that wasn’t meant to be yours. “Paloma Rumba” has an upbeat energy and a promising stage performance lined up. In Eurovision, that combination connects with the televote. Moreover, Armenia sits sixth in the running order, which is a decent slot for building early momentum for voters. But will it get the jury vote? Armenia has missed out on the final in several recent editions, so all hopes are on SIMON to bring them back in the conversation. Fun fact: His song has been co-written by Rosa Linn, who herself represented Armenia with “Snap” back in 2022. Best ESC result: 1st place (2024, 1988, 1956) Result in 2025: Finals (10th) Switzerland’s Nemo won the contest in 2024 with “The Code.” While that song was a theatrical, high-tempo piece, this year Veronica Fusaro is going in a completely different direction. Her song “Alice” is an indie-influenced soft rock that is far away from much of what surrounds it in this semi-final. That distinctiveness is both a strength and a risk. “Alice” is like an earworm that will grow on you with repeated listening. But its weak point is that it doesn’t immediately grab in the way that other bombastic Eurovision entries do. However, the jury element might work in Fusaro’s favour, as they tend to recognize and reward artistically distinct entries. Last year, Switzerland earned the second-highest jury vote. But their audience vote was zero, which shows the public craves an entertaining performance. Fusaro has kept that in mind, though. She has arrived in Vienna with a lot of red rope. “Alice” is a song about domestic violence, and they will be using the rope to stage the metaphor in a visceral way. Veronica will perform with a microphone that takes the form of a rope. She’ll be at one end with the cameraman pulling at the other. Four female dancers will be draped in blood-red rope. The final image is Veronica on her knees, spelling Alice’s name in red rope. It’s a strong closing shot, something that stays with you after the song is over. Switzerland is looking like a very serious qualifier with “Alice”. Best ESC result: 5th place (2004, 2018) Result in 2025: Semifinal (11th) Antigoni had been telling anyone who’d listen that she would be dancing on a table in Vienna, and she wasn’t lying! Cyprus have gone all out and built the biggest table the Eurovision stage has probably ever seen. It is enormous enough to fit Antigoni plus four dancers on top. It’s spacious enough to use as a catwalk, and equipped with chairs. There’s an LED strip running down the centre as a table runner, which kicks in at the “you want more?…” section. After that, Antigoni struts off the table, and then pyro hits. Cyprus is a country that’s been hot and cold at Eurovision, and hasn’t managed to turn a good song into a great live show. This year, however, it looks like things are aligning for them. If this performance lands on Thursday night the way it did in rehearsal, Antigoni is going to be very difficult to ignore. Best ESC result: 1st place (2002) Result in 2025: Grand Final (16th) Latvia won Eurovision back in 2002 with Marie N, but have not been able to recapture that magic ever since. Atvara’s “Ena” (meaning “Shadow”) shows promise this year. The song draws on Baltic folk influences. It starts slowly but builds into a haunting, deeply felt moment on stage. In our opinion, it’s the kind of entry that receives mixed votes. You’ll love it or hate it. Its weekly streaming numbers have been modest, but Atvara’s performance looked gripping in the rehearsals. They have shards of glass on stage to create a stunning visual effect. We will put it firmly in the “could cause an upset” category. Best ESC result: 1st place (1963, 2000, 2013) Result in 2025: Semi-Final (12th) Denmark is currently sitting second in the overall Eurovision 2026 win odds behind Finland, thanks to Soren Torpegaard Lund, a singer-songwriter with real credibility. His song “For Vi Gar Hjem” (Before We Go Home) won the Melodi Grand Prix. It’s a tender, beautifully constructed ballad. But how will it go live? Søren will be inside a box with red tube lights. that will intensify as the staging progresses. Søren will step out of the sweat box towards the end, into a storm that engulfs the stage floor and the screen behind him. Denmark look like one of the safest qualifiers of the night and have good prospects heading into the Grand Final. Best ESC result: 2nd place (2016, Dami Im) Result in 2025: Semi-Final (11th) Australia has sent their biggest name yet to end a two-year run of semi-final exits. Delta Goodrem is a singer, songwriter, television personality, and Member of the Order of Australia. She is a classically trained pianist and has invited a harpist to join her on stage. The Australian delegation has kept the staging largely under wraps, but we know it involves a pyro effect in the end. Delta will be wearing a custom couture gown adorned with approximately 7,000 Swarovski crystals as a direct homage to Vienna’s signature sparkle. Fun fact: “Eclipse” has been co-written with Grammy-winning Swedish songwriter Jonas Myrin. Best ESC result: 1st place (2022, 2016, 2004) Result in 2025: 9th in Grand-Final “Ridnym” is a bilingual English/Ukrainian song whose title translates roughly as “For Our Own.” The performance opens with the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument, that LELÉKA has specifically chosen to “bring back the feeling of home”. Given what the song is about, that choice means everything. After the first chorus, the staging goes dark, putting the spotlight on LELÉKA. The performance is set to build up to a show-stopping note, which the delegation has kept under wraps for now. After a disappointing 9th place in 2025, Ukraine needs a bounce-back performance. LELEKA has a strong vocal range, so, in our opinion, Ukraine is likely to move to the finals. Best ESC result: 5th place (2012) Result in 2025: 8th in Grand-Final Albania has been a consistent semi-finalist but has yet to give a song that enthralls the jury. This year, they bring “Nan” by Alis. The song is performed entirely in Albanian, which we think is a bold choice in a semi-final full of English-language entries. But the song is well-composed and could earn points from the jury panel for artistic merit. The challenge, as ever, lies in grabbing enough televote. The staging for “Nân” is built around the song’s themes of longing and loss. Alis will arrive on a dark stage as a mysterious figure, beginning on his knees before rising slowly through clouds of smoke. Behind him, the graphics will show a crowd of women in traditional Albanian costume, representing the mothers of Albania waiting for their sons to come home. There are more elements to the performance that the delegation is keeping secret for now. They will also have a screen behind Alis with English lyrics. Best ESC result: 2nd place (2002, 2005) Result in 2025: Grand-Final (17th) Last year’s provocative song “Serving” by Miriana Conte generated headlines across Europe for all the right and wrong reasons. This year, Malta has taken a very different approach with “Bella”. It is an English and Maltese pop entry with peppy lyrics. AIDAN will bring one of the biggest props in all of Vienna 2026. He will perform inside a giant architectural structure that will glow from several angles. The end will have a tornado of rose petals and will show AIDAN dancing romantically with the viewer while holding the steadycam. Malta has been so close to a breakout Eurovision result, but never brought the wow factor. “Bella” looks crowd-pleasing, so it might perform well across both jury and televote. Best ESC result: 1st place (1985, 1995, 2009) Result in 2025: Grand-Final (18th) Norway will close the Eurovision 2026: Second Semi Final. And if their rehearsal is anything to go by, it will be quite an end to the evening. Jonas Lovv’s “YA YA YA” has an enormous alternative rock energy, almost like a rousing anthem. This kind of song is built for live performance. If the crowd is with JONAS during his performance (and there’s every reason to believe they will be), Norway could be on their way to the finals. JONAS arrives on stage shirtless, covered in tattoos and 90 diamond-shaped panels on his black leather pants. It’s a lewk, as they say! The staging has a huge row of red lights running across the stage. You’ll also see strobe lights and pyro in the final stretch. This song won Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix, and if you’ve seen that performance, you’ll recognise most of the performance on Thursday. This year’s Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2 is very competitive with a stronger star power than Semi-Final 1. Only 10 of the 15 countries will make it to the Grand Final. Who will they be? Eurovision has an active viewer poll running on its website, where fans have voted heavily for Denmark, Australia, Cyprus, Romania, Albania, Czechia, and Malta from the second semi-final. Based on current betting odds for the Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2, Australia, Denmark, Ukraine, Switzerland, Armenia, Norway, Cyprus, Czechia, Albania, and either Bulgaria or Malta might qualify for the next round. But in Eurovision, televote and jury votes tend to swing a lot. So, we would advise placing outright bets closer to the date, after researching each performance. For the latest betting odds on every country in Semi-Final 2 and beyond, visit our Eurovision Song Contest betting page. Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org
Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2
The Second Semi-Final of Eurovision 2026
Eurovision Running Order: Semi-Final 2
Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2 Contestants
Bulgaria: DARA, “Bangaranga”
Azerbaijan: JIVA “Just Go”
Romania: Alexandra Capitanescu, “Choke Me”
Luxembourg: Eva Marija, “Mother Nature”
Czechia: Daniel Zizka, “Crossroads”
Armenia: SIMON, “Paloma Rumba”
Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro, “Alice”
Cyprus: Antigoni, “JALLA”
Latvia: Atvara, “Ena”
Denmark: Soren Torpegaard Lund, “For Vi Gar Hjem”
Australia: Delta Goodrem, “Eclipse”
Ukraine: LELEKA, “Ridnym”
Albania: Alis, “Nan”
Malta: AIDAN, “Bella”
Norway: JONAS LOVV, “YA YA YA”
Who Will Make it through to the Eurovision Grand Final?
