The final lineup for the 69th Eurovision Song Contest is set after Thursday's second semi-final, with 26 countries set to compete in front of thousands of fans in Basel, Switzerland in the grand final on Saturday.
Those who made the cut include classically trained Austrian countertenor JJ, a bookies’ favorite with his over-the-top pop-opera song “Wasted Love," and Israel's Yuval Raphael, who will be performing the song “New Day Will Rise."
Also voted through to the final was Malta’s Miriana Conte, whose campy, diva-esque song “Serving,” performed on a set including a glitter ball and giant lips, is classic Eurovision.
Performers from Luxembourg, Denmark, Armenia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Greece also advanced to the final.
They will go up against contenders selected in Tuesday’s first semifinal including betting favourite KAJ, representing Sweden with a serenade to the sauna "Bara Bada Bastu," Dutch singer Claude with soulful ballad "C’est La Vie," and Ukrainian rockers Ziferblat with "Bird of Pray."
Who were eliminated in the semifinals?
Eleven of the 37 acts who traveled to Basel have now been sent home, leaving 26 finalists.
Twenty were picked by viewers’ votes in the semi-finals, while Swisterland, the host country, and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK), the countries that contribute the most financially to the contest, automatically qualified for the final.
Out of the 15 countries that participated in the first semi-final on Tuesday, five were eliminated, including Slovenia, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Croatia and Cyprus.
On Thursday, another 16 countries battled for a spot in the final. A total of six were elimated, including Australia, Montenegro, Ireland, Georgia, Czechia and Serbia.
Competition clouded by controversy
For a second consecutive year, the contest, whose motto is "united by music," has been clouded by backlash over Israel's participation. Despite calls for a boycott, Israel is taking part in the 2025 edition of Eurovision and will be represented by Yuval Raphael.
Raphael, a survivor of Hamas' attack on the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, is predicted to do well by bookmakers. However, many have contested her presence.
Videos on social media showed a large Palestinian flag being extended in the crowd during Raphael's rehearsal on Thursday. The organiser of the event, Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR, said security personnel had escorted those involved out of the hall.
Meanwhile outside of the venue, hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in central Basel on Wednesday evening to demand an end to Israel's military offensive and their expulsion from Eurovision.
Many noted that Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“It should be a happy occasion that Eurovision is finally in Switzerland, but it’s not,” said one demonstrator at Wednesday's protest. “How can we rightfully exclude Russia but we’re still welcoming Israel?”
Several public broadcaster, including Spanish, Irish, Icleandic and Flemish broadcasters, called for a discussion about Israel's participation. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, defended its decision to allow Israel to participate and said the contest must remain politically neutral.
Also more than 70 former Eurovision contestants signed a letter calling for Israel to be excluded, including last year's winner, Nemo, who told HuffPost UK that “Israel’s actions are fundamentally at odds with the values that Eurovision claims to uphold — peace, unity, and respect for human rights.”
Last year, Israeli competitor Eden Golan received boos during her live performance. Raphael said she is expecting the same, but said "we are here to sing and I’m going to sing my heart out for everyone."
On Thursday, a demonstration in support of Israel and against antisemitism was held in central Basel.
