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Where to watch Eurovision 2026 – everything you need to know
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Get your power ballad fist ready for the air! The 70th Eurovision Song Contest has arrived in Vienna, Austria. Here’s your guide to everything you need to know
By Simon Ward, Content Director
- Published
- 12 May 2026
It’s time for the nation to come together around the telly to listen to music and, ahem, “music” as the Eurovision Song Contest returns for its 70th edition. Expect costume changes, artistic choices in staging and lighting and Graham Norton sardonically delighting in every bit of it.
After JJ scored the victory at last year’s Grand Final with “Wasted Love” – an operatic banger delivered (in black and white) aboard a capsized sailing board – this year’s contest takes place in Vienna, Austria.
Coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 (and the biggest party of the year) will be across BBC One HD (CH 101) and BBC iPlayer (Apps > BBC iPlayer).
All you need to do is grab your scorecards, lay out some food and drinks from your favourite country, invite friends and family around and then… It’s go time, people.
Ahead of the Semi-Finals and Grand Final, get up to speed with all you need to know with our comprehensive guide. You can click below to go straight to the answer you’re looking for.
When is Eurovision 2026?
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The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on Saturday 16 May. Semi-Final 1 will take place on Tuesday 12 May, while Semi-Final 2 will conclude the line-up on Thursday 14 May.
Following the Semi-Finals, the Grand Final will see 25 countries lining up to be crowned the new champions of Eurovision and the chance to take next year’s contest back to their home country.
This year, the Big Five countries (Spain, Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom) became the Big Four, with Spain one of five countries that have opted not to participate this year. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia have also pulled out. The remaining four Big Four countries all have a guaranteed place in the Grand Final, as does Austria, as the host nation and current winners.
That means there are 20 remaining places up for grabs, with 10 places available in each of the two Semi-Finals. Fans will be able to vote for their favourites in each Semi-Final.
Whether you’ll be voting for the artists you truly love, the acts with the most, erm, unique performances or maybe just the ones who make you laugh, it’s entirely up to you. All are valid reasons when it comes to voting in Eurovision.
How to watch Eurovision 2026 on TV
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Coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be on BBC One HD (CH 101). You can also stream it on BBC iPlayer (Apps > BBC iPlayer), where you can also catch up on anything you’ve missed.
Eurovision 2026 Semi-Finals
You can watch both Semi-Finals on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May from 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Each of the Big Four plus Austria will also perform during the Semi-Final in which they vote. The UK will perform in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 14 May. Join Rylan and Angela Scanlon to navigate us all through the chaos.
Eurovision 2026 Grand Final
Join Graham Norton on Saturday 16 May from 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer for the Grand Final and his unique take on proceedings. We’ll be with him until the bitter end. Possibly with an emphasis on bitter, depending on how the voting goes…
Meet UK Eurovision 2026 act Look Mum No Computer
The BBC internally selected Look Mum No Computer to be their Eurovision 2026 representative. The act is the alter ego of Kent-based, self-proclaimed “backyard engineer” Sam Battle – a YouTuber, musician, inventor and electronic aficionado.
The song he’ll be taking to Vienna is called “Eins, Zwei, Drei” – a gloriously fizzy, 80s synth-pop banger that sounds like Funkytown had a very good weekend in Germany. It’s a song about escaping the soul-crushing monotony of the 9-to-5 by counting in a different language, and honestly? We’re here for it.
The German counting phrase “eins, zwei, drei” was partly inspired by Sam having been in Germany for two weeks touring just before the song was written. The track came together with co-writers Thomas Stengaard, Lasse Midtsian Nymann and Julie Aagaard – a team with serious Eurovision pedigree, having collectively been involved in entries from Switzerland, Cyprus, Luxembourg, San Marino and last year’s UK entry.
Look Mum No Computer has 1.4 million subscribers and followers across social media, with more than 85 million views for his music videos and incredible inventions. Yep, “inventions”. His more eccentric musical creations include an organ made from Furby toys, a Star Wars droid orchestra and his very own synthesiser bike. He also holds a Guinness World Record for building the world’s largest drone synthesiser.
So yes: it feels like Sam is tailor-made for the craziness of Eurovision.
Who’s the favourite to win Eurovision 2026?
It’s early days – and as any Eurovision veteran knows, the betting odds can flip overnight once rehearsals begin and the complex staging and costumes reveal themselves. That said, there’s a clear frontrunner going into the shows.
Finland, represented by the duo of classical violinist Linda Lampenius and pop star Pete Parkkonen, is leading the betting odds as favourites to win. Their track “Liekinheitin” – which literally means “flamethrower” – vibrantly fuses rock, classical music and dance in a way that’s got bookies very excited indeed.
Greece is also now ranked among the top contenders, with Akylas and their song “Ferto” showing a substantial upward trend in the markets. France, Denmark and Australia are also expected to be among the front-runners. Australia’s entry comes from pop legend Delta Goodrem, whose song “Eclipse” has already been charting back home.
As for the UK? Look Mum No Computer has been bracingly honest about the challenge: “There’s a lot of stuff going on with the voting, a lot of favouritism and stuff, and maybe the UK isn’t everybody’s favourite when it comes to the Eurovision. So, I’m just going to be myself and hope they see that I’m an all right guy. Because if they don’t like you, then there’s no hope, really.”
Relatable, Sam. Deeply relatable.
Meet the Eurovision 2026 presenters
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Vienna’s biggest party needs hosts to match, and Austria has delivered. Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski will host Eurovision 2026.
Victoria Swarovski, from Innsbruck, is a TV presenter, entrepreneur, model, designer and singer. Michael Ostrowski, from Leoben, is one of Austria’s most in-demand actors and works regularly as a presenter, having hosted events such as the Nestroy Theatre Prize and the Amadeus Awards. For hosting 100 Years of Radio, Michael received the Austrian TV award, Romy.
Victoria is perhaps best known internationally for winning the German version of Dancing With The Stars (Let’s Dance) in 2016 – so we can’t wait to see how that’s woven into the ceremony. Emily Busvine, presenter on Austrian radio station FM4, will be holding things together in the green room, which has been designed to look like a traditional Viennese coffee house. It probably made sense in the production meeting.
How does the Eurovision 2026 voting work?
After all songs have been performed, each country will give two sets of points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 12) to their favourite songs – one set given by a jury of music industry professionals from that country, and one set given by viewers watching at home. You can vote by telephone, SMS or through the official Eurovision app.
Out of fairness, you cannot vote for your own country. New rules for 2026 include a reduction in the maximum number of votes per payment method from 20 to 10, while each national jury has been increased in size (now seven members rather than five) with new stipulations on age range and professional background – changes introduced partly in response to controversy around voting campaigns in previous years.
There’s also a comprehensive set of rules governing competing songs. The main ones to know are that songs must be original and no more than three minutes long, lead vocals must be performed live, and no more than six performers can take to the stage during any one performance.
Costume changes, national dress, climbing scaffolding and a full laser light show aren’t mandatory. But try telling that to a lot of the artists…
Full list of Eurovision 2026 entrants
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Here’s the full list of Eurovision 2026 entries, in alphabetical order:
Albania: Alis – Nân
Armenia: Simón – Paloma Rumba
Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
Austria: Cosmó – Tanzschein
Azerbaijan: Jiva – Just Go
Belgium: Essyla – Dancing on the Ice
Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga
Croatia: Lelek – Andromeda
Cyprus: Antigoni – Jalla
Czechia: Daniel Zizka – Crossroads
Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før vi går hjem
Estonia: Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic to Be True
Finland: Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin
France: Monroe – Regarde !
Georgia: Bzikebi – On Replay
Germany: Sarah Engels – Fire
Greece: Akylas – Ferto
Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle
Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per sempre sì
Latvia: Atvara – Ēnā
Lithuania: Lion Ceccah – Sólo quiero más
Luxembourg: Eva Marija – Mother Nature
Malta: Aidan – Bella
Moldova: Satoshi – Viva, Moldova!
Montenegro: Tamara Živković – Nova zora
Norway: Jonas Lovv – Ya Ya Ya
Poland: Alicja – Pray
Portugal: Bandidos do Cante – Rosa
Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
San Marino: Senhit – Superstar
Serbia: Lavina – Kraj mene
Sweden: Felicia – My System
Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – Alice
Ukraine: Leléka – Ridnym
United Kingdom: Look Mum No Computer – Eins, Zwei, Drei
Eurovision 2026 Semi-Finals running order
First Semi-Final
The first Semi-Final will be on iPlayer and BBC One on Tuesday 12 May and this is the running order:
1. Moldova: Satoshi – Viva, Moldova!
2. Sweden: Felicia – My System
3. Croatia: Lelek – Andromeda
4. Greece: Akylas – Ferto
5. Portugal: Bandidos do Cante – Rosa
6. Georgia: Bzikebi – On Replay
Italy: Sal Da Vinci – Per sempre sì
7. Finland: Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen – Liekinheitin
8. Montenegro: Tamara Živković – Nova zora
9. Estonia: Vanilla Ninja – Too Epic to Be True
10. Israel: Noam Bettan – Michelle
Germany: Sarah Engels – Fire
11. Belgium: Essyla – Dancing on the Ice
12. Lithuania: Lion Ceccah – Sólo quiero más
13. San Marino: Senhit – Superstar
14. Poland: Alicja – Pray
15. Serbia: Lavina – Kraj mene
Italy and Germany automatically qualify for the Grand Final and audiences in these countries will be able to vote during this Semi-Final.
Second Semi-Final
The second Semi-Final will be on iPlayer and BBC One on Thursday 14 May and this is the running order:
1. Bulgaria: Dara – Bangaranga
2. Azerbaijan: Jiva – Just Go
3. Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – Choke Me
4. Luxembourg: Eva Marija – Mother Nature
5. Czechia: Daniel Zizka – Crossroads
France: Monroe – Regarde !
6. Armenia: Simón – Paloma Rumba
7. Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – Alice
8. Cyprus: Antigoni – Jalla
Austria: Cosmó – Tanzschein
9. Latvia: Atvara – Ēnā
10. Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – Før vi går hjem
11. Australia: Delta Goodrem – Eclipse
12. Ukraine: Leléka – Ridnym
United Kingdom: Look Mum No Computer – Eins, Zwei, Drei
13. Albania: Alis – Nân
14. Malta: Aidan – Bella
15. Norway: Jonas Lovv – Ya Ya Ya
France, Austria and the United Kingdom automatically qualify for the Grand Final and audiences in these countries will be able to vote during this Semi-Final.
UK Eurovision 2026 Jury Spokesperson
The BBC has not yet confirmed who will announce the UK’s jury points during the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May. We’ll update this section as soon as it’s announced – watch this space.
Frequently asked questions about Eurovision 2026
All three shows – both Semi-Finals and the Grand Final – start at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The Grand Final is on Saturday 16 May.
Eurovision 2026 is being held at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, following JJ’s win for Austria at Eurovision 2025 with “Wasted Love”.
The UK is represented by Look Mum No Computer (real name Sam Battle) performing “Eins, Zwei, Drei”.
No. As a member of the Big Four (alongside France, Germany and Italy), the UK automatically qualifies for the Grand Final and doesn’t need to compete in the Semi-Finals.
35 countries are participating in Eurovision 2026. Five countries – Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain – have chosen not to participate this year.
Yes! UK viewers can vote during the Semi-Final on Thursday 14 May and during the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May. You can vote by phone, SMS or via the official Eurovision app. You cannot vote for the UK entry.
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Image credits: Eurovision Song Contest 2026 © BBC / BBC Studios
Look Mum No Computer © BBC / Michael Leckie
