The first semifinal of Eurovision 2026 has begun in Vienna: live stream
12 May 22:00
The first semifinal of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest 2026 has kicked off in Vienna. The live broadcast began on Tuesday, May 12, at 10:00 p.m. Kyiv time. This year, the contest is being held in the Austrian capital following Austria’s victory at Eurovision 2025, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
Where is Eurovision 2026 taking place?
This year, Vienna is hosting the contest, with the Wiener Stadthalle serving as the main venue. Austria earned the right to host Eurovision after its representative, JJ, won the 2025 contest in Basel with the song “Wasted Love.”
Eurovision 2026 is a milestone edition—the contest is being held for the 70th time. Thirty-five countries are participating in this year’s contest, and the first semifinal kicks off the main competition week in Vienna.
This will be followed by the second semifinal and the grand final.
Where to watch Eurovision 2026 in Ukraine
In Ukraine, live broadcasts of Eurovision 2026 will be available on several platforms.
The broadcast will be provided by:
- Suspilne Culture website
- Suspilne Eurovision website
- The official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel
- Eurovision Ukraine YouTube channel (host commentary only)
- Megogo streaming
- Radio Promin.
The pre-show with host Timur Miroshnychenko and co-hosts Vasyl Baidak, Svitlana Tarabarova, and alyona alyona will begin at 9:30 PM on the Eurovision Ukraine YouTube channel.
Who is performing in the first semifinal
In the first semifinal on May 12, representatives from 15 countries will take the stage. According to the official running order, Moldova will open the show.
Running order for the first semi-final:
- Moldova
- Sweden
- Croatia
- Greece
- Portugal
- Georgia
- Finland
- Montenegro
- Estonia
- Israel
- Belgium
- Lithuania
- San Marino
- Poland
- Serbia
Countries that have already automatically qualified for the final, including Italy and Germany, will also perform in the first semifinal.
Based on the voting results, some of the contestants will advance to the grand final, which will take place on May 16.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
When Ukraine performs
Ukraine will perform not in the first, but in the second semifinal, which will take place on May 14.
Ukraine’s representative, Leléka, will perform the song “Ridnym.”
According to the official running order, Ukraine will take the stage in the second semifinal as number 12
How to vote
You can vote for your favorite performance via the official Eurovision Song Contest App, as well as via SMS, phone call (numbers will be announced during the live broadcast), and the esc.vote web platform, which is active only on broadcast days.
Viewers can cast a maximum of 10 votes per voting method. Ukraine can only vote during the second semifinal, when its representative performs, and during the Grand Final. However, residents of other countries can cast their votes in both semifinals.
How the finalists will be determined
Based on the results of each semifinal, 10 countries will be selected to advance to the grand final. In the final, they will be joined by countries that have an automatic spot in the final show.
The Eurovision 2026 Grand Final will take place on May 16. That is when the winner of the 70th Song Contest will be announced.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
