Eurovision Opens 70th Contest in Vienna With 35 Countries as Boycott Over Israel Grows
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 12
Eurovision Opens 70th Contest in Vienna With 35 Countries as Boycott Over Israel Grows
10 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 12
Vienna hosts Eurovision’s first semi-final on Tuesday, launching the 70th contest before a grand final on May 16 with 35 countries competing.
20 acts from the two semi-finals will advance to Saturday’s final, joining pre-qualified Austria, the UK, Italy, France and Germany.
5 broadcasters — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia — have withdrawn over Israel’s participation, making this Eurovision’s biggest boycott in 70 years.
10 votes per fan, down from 20, and jury scoring in the semi-finals are part of new rules aimed at curbing coordinated or government-backed voting after controversy in 2025.
As boycotts and security threats overshadow the music, is the Eurovision Song Contest facing an identity crisis?
Can new voting rules restore faith in a contest where geopolitics now seems to influence the results?