Overview
- Thursday’s second semi-final sent Bulgaria, Ukraine, Norway, Australia, Romania, Malta, Cyprus, Albania, Denmark and Czechia to Saturday’s Grand Final, completing a 25-country field.
- Australia’s Delta Goodrem drew one of the night’s biggest reactions with Eclipse, lifting Australia into serious contention in betting markets while Finland remains the bookmakers’ favorite.
- Five broadcasters — Spain, Iceland, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia — are boycotting Israel’s participation, leaving only four of the usual Big Five pre-qualified alongside host Austria.
- The EBU’s revised system is in force, cutting each viewer’s televotes from 20 to 10 and bringing professional juries back to the semi-finals after scrutiny of 2025’s public-vote patterns.
- ORF kept audience microphones live despite protests, and several spectators were removed during Israel’s first semi-final performance, putting security and broadcast choices under close watch before the final.