It was clear after Monday night's draw at Vienna City Hall - this year's Eurovision Song Contest will be decided in the Austrian capital after JJ won in Basel, Switzerland, last year.
The first semi-final will be decided on May 12, and Sweden's entry will also be pitted against Finland, among others.
A total of 35 countries are participating – in December it became clear that the broadcasters in Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are boycotting this year's competition after members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) voted to allow Israel to participate.
Israel's involvement has been strongly questioned since the Hamas terrorist attack in the country on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The second semi-final will take place on May 14.
30 of the 35 participating countries in this year's Eurovision Song Contest will begin in the semi-finals. 20 of them will advance to the final on May 16, where France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and last year's winner Austria have qualified directly.
Facts: The semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest
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Semi-final 1 on May 12: Georgia, Portugal, Croatia, Sweden, Finland, Moldova, Greece, Montenegro, Estonia, San Marino, Poland, Belgium, Lithuania, Serbia and Israel.
Semi-final 2 on May 14: Armenia, Romania, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Albania, Denmark, Cyprus, Norway, Malta, Australia, Ukraine and Latvia.
The final will be decided on May 16.





