{"id":9304,"date":"2026-05-04T06:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T03:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/7bet.lt\/blogas\/?page_id=9304"},"modified":"2026-05-08T17:17:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T14:17:07","slug":"eurovision-semi-final-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-semi-final-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Eurovision 2025 &#8211; Semi-Final 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>[vc_row][vc_column width=\"1\/3\"][vc_single_image image=\"8540\" img_size=\"full\" alignment=\"center\" css=\"\"][\/vc_column][vc_column width=\"2\/3\"][vc_column_text css=\"\"]\r\n<h1 style=\"font-size: 36px;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\r\n<span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <\/span><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/betting\/specials\/music\/eurovision\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision Song Contest odds<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at 7bet.<\/span><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<style data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\"><\/style><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<strong>[vc_row][vc_column]\n\t\t\t<div id=\"widget-106\" class=\"widget_nav_mega_menu shortcode-mega-menu \">\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"basel-navigation\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"menu-eurovizija-2025-container\"><ul id=\"menu-eurovizija-2025\" class=\"menu\"><li id=\"menu-item-11780\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11780 menu-item-design-default item-event-hover\"><a href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-semi-final-1\/\">Semi-Final 1<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11779\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11779 menu-item-design-default item-event-hover\"><a href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-semi-final-2\/\">Semi-Final 2<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11778\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11778 menu-item-design-default item-event-hover\"><a href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-song-contest-grand-final\/\">Grand Final<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-11776\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11776 menu-item-design-default item-event-hover\"><a href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-song-contest-favourites\/\">TOP 10<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"menu-item-15647\" class=\"menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-15647 menu-item-design-default item-event-hover\"><a href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/blog\/eurovision-live\/\">Live<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t[\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<style data-type=\"vc_shortcodes-custom-css\"><\/style><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1649425791274{margin-top: 20px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;eb-tournament&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; el_class=&#8221;eb-table&#8221;]<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>The Second Semi-Final of Eurovision 2026<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vienna is ready to host the 70th anniversary edition, after Austria\u2019s <\/span>JJ <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">won the 2025 trophy in Basel with \u201cWasted Love\u201d. On Thursday, 14th May, 15 countries will take the Wiener Stadthalle stage, and 10 will leave with a ticket to Saturday\u2019s final.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and last year\u2019s winner, Austria, have automatically qualified for the Grand Final. Three of these countries \u2013 Austria, France, and the UK \u2013 will perform as non-competing acts during the second semifinal. They also have voting rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The show will open with hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski attempting to perform \u201cWasted Love,\u201d before JJ takes the stage to debut a new single.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It already sounds like a night to remember! Below, we give you the running order of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Eurovision Running Order: Semi-Final 2<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Bulgaria<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: DARA, \u201cBangaranga\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Azerbaijan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: JIVA, \u201cJust Go\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Romania<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Alexandra Capitanescu, \u201cChoke Me\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Luxembourg<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Eva Marija, \u201cMother Nature\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Czechia<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Daniel Zizka, \u201cCrossroads\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Armenia<\/b>: SIMON, \u201cPaloma Rumba\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Switzerland<\/b>: Veronica Fusaro, \u201cAlice\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Cyprus<\/b>: Antigoni, \u201cJALLA\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Latvia<\/b>: Atvara, \u201cEna\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Denmark<\/b>: Soren Torpegaard Lund, \u201cFor Vi Gar Hjem\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Australia<\/b>: Delta Goodrem, \u201cEclipse\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Ukraine<\/b>: LELEKA, \u201cRidnym\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Albania:<\/b> Alis, \u201cNan\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Malta:<\/b> AIDAN, \u201cBella\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Norway:<\/b> JONAS LOVV, \u201cYA YA YA\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2 Contestants<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Bulgaria: DARA, \u201cBangaranga\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 2nd place (2017)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Did not compete<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">DARA will perform \u201cBangaranga\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">DARA is a powerful vocalist, and \u201cBangaranga\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Azerbaijan: JIVA \u201cJust Go\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 1st place (2011)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Semifinal (15th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">First things first, the name is pronounced \u201cjee-va,\u201d (like diva). Which, honestly, feels entirely appropriate once you see what she\u2019s bringing to Vienna. JIVA will kick off her \u201cJust Go\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">In our opinion, it will depend on how her act stands out on the stage. Azerbaijan won Eurovision in 2011 with Ell &amp; Nikki, but has not had many memorable moments since. Maybe JIVA\u2019s dramatic staging will create that final impact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Romania: Alexandra Capitanescu, \u201cChoke Me\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 3rd place (2005, 2010)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Did not compete<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Romania is back after a two-year gap, and they mean business with \u201cChoke Me\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Alexandra C\u0103pit\u0103nescu\u2019s first rehearsal looked practically broadcast-ready. You could have put it out on Thursday, and nobody would have questioned it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The concept behind \u201cChoke Me\u201d is built around breath. You will hear her sharply inhaling and exhaling as she shows a battle between her own thoughts. It\u2019s played out with six people on stage \u2013 herself, a four-piece band, and a mysterious sixth presence whose identity is being kept under wraps for now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">You\u2019ll 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!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The theme is clearly dark and provocative, but maybe that\u2019s what Romania needs to get noticed as they return to the stage after two years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Luxembourg: Eva Marija, \u201cMother Nature\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st place (1961, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1983)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 13th in Grand Final<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Luxembourg managed a solid return to Eurovision last year after decades away, and Eva Marija has wasted no time in levelling up her song \u201cMother Nature\u201d for the international stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The stage will have butterflies, birds, blossoming buds, and nature\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Eva will be in a floaty, layered gown that will billow and flow exactly the way you\u2019d imagine for a song called \u201cMother Nature\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">What works in their favour is that \u201cMother Nature\u201d has a different emotional register from most of the songs in the first half.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Czechia: Daniel Zizka, \u201cCrossroads\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6th place (2018)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Semifinal (12th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019s \u201cCrossroads\u201d might be the course correction they need. The song opens slowly (maybe a little too slowly!), but it builds into something vocally impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Daniel Zizka has a thing for mirrors. If you\u2019ve seen the music video for \u201cCrossroads,\u201d you\u2019ll 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">And yet, for all the visual spectacle, the thing that stood out the most in the rehearsal was Daniel\u2019s voice. His live delivery sounds exactly like the studio recording. The closing ten seconds in particular will be worth watching!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Czechia will have the last competitive act before France\u2019s interlude. If Daniel Zizka delivers vocally, his country should have a real shot at qualifying.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Armenia: SIMON, \u201cPaloma Rumba\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4th place (2008, 2014)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Semi-Final (20th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">SIMON was the runner-up at the Armenian national selection in 2025 and secured the 2026 nomination through an internal process. His song, \u201cPaloma Rumba\u201d, is about desperately wanting to quit your job. The staging is an office setting stacked high with boxes of paper. Once SIM\u00d3N 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\u2019t meant to be yours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">\u201cPaloma Rumba\u201d 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?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Armenia has missed out on the final in several recent editions, so all hopes are on SIMON to bring them back in the conversation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Fun fact: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His song has been co-written by Rosa Linn, who herself represented Armenia with \u201cSnap\u201d back in 2022.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro, \u201cAlice\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st place (2024, 1988, 1956)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Finals (10th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Switzerland\u2019s Nemo won the contest in 2024 with \u201cThe Code.\u201d While that song was a theatrical, high-tempo piece, this year Veronica Fusaro is going in a completely different direction. Her song \u201cAlice\u201d is an indie-influenced soft rock that is far away from much of what surrounds it in this semi-final.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">That distinctiveness is both a strength and a risk. \u201cAlice\u201d is like an earworm that will grow on you with repeated listening. But its weak point is that it doesn\u2019t immediately grab in the way that other bombastic Eurovision entries do. However, the jury element might work in Fusaro\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">She has arrived in Vienna with a lot of red rope. \u201cAlice\u201d 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\u2019ll 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\u2019s name in red rope. It\u2019s a strong closing shot, something that stays with you after the song is over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Switzerland is looking like a very serious qualifier with \u201cAlice\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Cyprus: Antigoni, \u201cJALLA\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 5th place (2004, 2018)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Semifinal (11th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Antigoni had been telling anyone who\u2019d listen that she would be dancing on a table in Vienna, and she wasn\u2019t 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\u2019s spacious enough to use as a catwalk, and equipped with chairs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">There\u2019s an LED strip running down the centre as a table runner, which kicks in at the \u201cyou want more?&#8230;\u201d section. After that, Antigoni struts off the table, and then pyro hits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Cyprus is a country that\u2019s been hot and cold at Eurovision, and hasn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Latvia: Atvara, \u201cEna\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st place (2002)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grand Final (16th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Latvia won Eurovision back in 2002 with Marie N, but have not been able to recapture that magic ever since. Atvara\u2019s \u201cEna\u201d (meaning \u201cShadow\u201d) shows promise this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The song draws on Baltic folk influences. It starts slowly but builds into a haunting, deeply felt moment on stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">In our opinion, it\u2019s the kind of entry that receives mixed votes. You\u2019ll love it or hate it. Its weekly streaming numbers have been modest, but Atvara\u2019s 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 \u201ccould cause an upset\u201d category.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Denmark: Soren Torpegaard Lund, \u201cFor Vi Gar Hjem\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st place (1963, 2000, 2013)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Semi-Final (12th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Denmark is currently sitting second in the overall <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision 2026 win odds<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> behind Finland, thanks to Soren Torpegaard Lund, a singer-songwriter with real credibility. His song \u201cFor Vi Gar Hjem\u201d (Before We Go Home) won the Melodi Grand Prix. It\u2019s a tender, beautifully constructed ballad. But how will it go live?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">S\u00f8ren will be inside a box with red tube lights. that will intensify as the staging progresses. S\u00f8ren will step out of the sweat box towards the end, into a storm that engulfs the stage floor and the screen behind him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Denmark look like one of the safest qualifiers of the night and have good prospects heading into the Grand Final.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Australia: Delta Goodrem, \u201cEclipse\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2nd place (2016, Dami Im)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Semi-Final (11th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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\u2019s signature sparkle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Fun fact: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEclipse\u201d has been co-written with Grammy-winning Swedish songwriter Jonas Myrin.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Ukraine: LELEKA, \u201cRidnym\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 1st place (2022, 2016, 2004)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 9th in Grand-Final<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">\u201cRidnym\u201d is a bilingual English\/Ukrainian song whose title translates roughly as \u201cFor Our Own.\u201d The performance opens with the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument, that LEL\u00c9KA has specifically chosen to \u201cbring back the feeling of home\u201d. Given what the song is about, that choice means everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After the first chorus, the staging goes dark, putting the spotlight on LEL\u00c9KA. The performance is set to build up to a show-stopping note, which the delegation has kept under wraps for now.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Albania: Alis, \u201cNan\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5th place (2012)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 8th in Grand-Final<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Albania has been a consistent semi-finalist but has yet to give a song that enthralls the jury. This year, they bring \u201cNan\u201d by Alis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The staging for \u201cN\u00e2n\u201d is built around the song\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Malta: AIDAN, \u201cBella\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 2nd place (2002, 2005)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Grand-Final (17th)<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Last year\u2019s provocative song \u201cServing\u201d by Miriana Conte generated headlines across Europe for all the right and wrong reasons. This year, Malta has taken a very different approach with \u201cBella\u201d. It is an English and Maltese pop entry with peppy lyrics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">Malta has been so close to a breakout Eurovision result, but never brought the wow factor.\u00a0 \u201cBella\u201d looks crowd-pleasing, so it might perform well across both jury and televote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Norway: JONAS LOVV, \u201cYA YA YA\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Best ESC result: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1st place (1985, 1995, 2009)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Result in 2025: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grand-Final (18th)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Norway will close the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision 2026: Second Semi Final<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. And if their rehearsal is anything to go by, it will be quite an end to the evening. Jonas Lovv\u2019s \u201cYA YA YA\u201d has an enormous alternative rock energy, almost like a rousing anthem. This kind of song is built for live performance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">If the crowd is with JONAS during his performance (and there\u2019s every reason to believe they will be), Norway could be on their way to the finals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">JONAS arrives on stage shirtless, covered in tattoos and 90 diamond-shaped panels on his black leather pants. It\u2019s a lewk, as they say!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">The staging has a huge row of red lights running across the stage. You\u2019ll also see strobe lights and pyro in the final stretch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">This song won Norway\u2019s Melodi Grand Prix, and if you\u2019ve seen that performance, you\u2019ll recognise most of the performance on Thursday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><strong>Who Will Make it through to the Eurovision Grand Final?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #ffffff;\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on current <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">betting odds for the Eurovision 2026: Semi-Final 2<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 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.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the latest betting odds on every country in Semi-Final 2 and beyond, visit our <\/span><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/7bet.co.uk\/betting\/specials\/music\/eurovision\/eurovision-song-contest-2026-winner\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eurovision Song Contest betting <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">page.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b><i>Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org<\/i><\/b>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1649425791274{margin-top: 20px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column el_class=&#8221;eb-tournament&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; el_class=&#8221;eb-table&#8221;] The Second Semi-Final of Eurovision 2026 Vienna is ready to host the 70th<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8540,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9304","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Eurovision 2026 Semi-Final 2 Running Order &amp; 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