If you can somehow believe it, it was just a year ago Austria’s JJ lifted the Eurovision trophy and now, 35 nations will go head-to-head once more in the hopes of being crowned champion.
Tonight is the first of the semi-finals, which will see the first 15 countries compete for a spot in Saturday’s grand final, along with two members of the Big Four who have already pre-qualified.
The United Kingdom is being represented by Look Mum No Computer, an electronic music act with his song Eins, Zwei, Drei, though he will be performing later this week during the second semi-final.
But what time is all of this going down? Scroll on to find out all the latest news around Eurovision 2026.
When is Eurovision 2026? Dates for semi-finals
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 kicks off with two semi-finals, with the first taking place on Tuesday 12 May and the second on Tuesday 14 May.
Both semi-finals will be broadcast live for those in the UK on BBC One and iPlayer.
What time is Eurovision 2026 on tonight?
For those tuning in from the United Kingdom, the competition will begin at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, as well as BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
When is the Eurovision 2026 final?
The Eurovision Grand Final will take place on Saturday 16 May 2026 at 8pm.
Where is Eurovision 2026 being held?
Eurovision 2026 is being held in Vienna, Austria. It is scheduled to take place at the Wiener Stadthalle
Austria has hosted Eurovision twice before, once in 1967 and again in 2015.
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How to watch Eurovision 2026
The Eurovision semi-finals and the grand final will be broadcast live on BBC One and iPlayer and across the airwaves on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
The BBC are yet to confirm which presenters will be providing commentary for those in the UK.
Which countries will compete in Eurovision 2026?
35 countries will compete in Eurovision 2026.
Below are all the countries taking part in alphabetical order:
- Albania – ‘Nân’ – Alis
- Armenia – ‘Paloma Rumba’ – SIMÓN
- Australia – ‘Eclipse’ – Delta Goodrem
- Austria – ‘Tanzschien’ – Cosmó
- Azerbaijan – ‘Just Go’ – JIVA
- Belgium – ‘Dancing on the Ice’ – ESSYLA
- Bulgaria – ‘Bangaranga’ – DARA
- Croatia – ‘Andromeda’ – LELEK
- Cyprus – ‘JALLA’ – Antigoni
- Czechia – ‘CROSSROADS’ – Daniel Zizka
- Denmark ‘Før Vi Går Hjem’ – Søren Torpegaard Lund
- Estonia – ‘Too Epic To Be True’ – Vanilla Ninja
- Finland – ‘Liekinheitin’ – Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen
- France – ‘Regarde!’ – Monroe
- Georgia – ‘On Replay’ – Bzikebi
- Germany – ‘Fire’ – Sarah Engels
- Greece – ‘Ferto’ – Akylas
- Israel – ‘Michelle’ – Noam Bettan
- Italy – ‘Per Sempre Sì’ – Sal Da Vinci
- Latvia – ‘Ēnā’ – Atvara
- Lithuania – ‘Sólo Quiero Más’ – Lion Ceccah
- Luxembourg – ‘Mother Nature’ – Eva Marija
- Malta – ‘Bella’ – AIDAN
- Moldova – ‘Viva, Moldova!’ – Satoshi
- Montenegro – ‘Nova Zora’ – Tamara Živković
- Norway – ‘YA YA YA’ – JONAS LOVV
- Poland – ‘Pray’ – ALICJA
- Portugal – ‘Rosa’ – Bandidos do Cante
- Romania – ‘Choke Me’ – Alexandra Căpitănescu
- San Marino – ‘Superstar’ – SENHIT
- Serbia – ‘Kraj Mene’ – LAVINA
- Sweden – ‘My System’ – FELICIA
- Switzerland – ‘Alice’ – Veronica Fusaro
- Ukraine – ‘Ridnym’ – LELÉKA
- United Kingdom – ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’ – Look Mum No Computer
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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