Overview
- The second semi-final in Vienna on Thursday qualified ten countries and completed a 25-act final that also features pre-qualified Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and host Austria.
- Australia’s Delta Goodrem drew strong reviews for Eclipse, and Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund impressed with Før Vi Går Hjem, reinforcing both acts as leading picks with bookmakers.
- Romania advanced with Alexandra Capitanescu’s Choke Me, a rock entry criticized for trivializing sexually motivated strangulation.
- Viewers on social media panned the hosts’ opening parody by Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, with comments calling it “peinlich” and a “Totaler Reinfall”.
- Five broadcasters from the Netherlands, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland are boycotting Israel’s participation, and pro-Palestinian demonstrations are expected in Vienna during the final.