Eurovision 2026: Boy George Fails to Make Grand Final

The Eurovision Song Contest has started in Vienna, Austria. Boy George and Antigoni Buxton are there, but five countries are not participating because of Israel's involvement.

Tonight is the first semi-final with 15 countries competing for 10 spots in the Grand Final. San Marino's Senhit was joined by Boy George, but he only sang two lines, which some fans thought was pointless.

Boy George and San Marino did not make it to the Grand Final. They were in the bottom five and their Eurovision journey is over.

On Thursday, the second semi-final will take place with another 15 countries competing. Antigoni Buxton will represent Cyprus, and five countries are boycotting due to Israel's participation in the contest.

Scott Mills will not be commenting on the Eurovision Song Contest. He was replaced by Angela Scanlon, who will comment alongside Rylan Clark.

Follow the live updates of the Eurovision Song Contest.

Australian singer Go-Jo made a guest appearance at the semi-final. He explained that he ended up in Austria by mistake and then sang a song with the hosts.

The song was about the differences between Australia and Austria. Go-Jo said that Australia has spiders, snakes, and shark attacks, while Austria has desserts that can cause heart attacks.

During the song, a large yellow road sign appeared on stage with a kangaroo. The sign was modified to say 'no kangaroos in Austria'.

Australia's participation in the contest will start on Thursday with the second semi-final. Delta Goodrem will perform her song Eclipse.

Boy George issued a statement after failing to make it to the Grand Final. He said he would not take back his experience and thanked his fans and the San Marino delegation.

Boy George will perform with Senhit in Milan, Italy, in July. He also said that he and Senhit will have another performance together.

There is another semi-final on Thursday, and then the live final will take place on Saturday. All the countries that made it through will compete in the final.

Ten countries from tonight's semi-final will join ten countries from Thursday's semi-final, as well as the UK, Germany, France, and Italy, who have a guaranteed spot in the final.

In the final, all 25 countries will perform, and then a public vote will take place. The votes will be combined with the jury votes to announce the winner.

San Marino did not make it to the Grand Final despite Boy George's appearance. The singer joined Senhit for the song contest, but his Eurovision journey is over.

The countries that made it to the Grand Final are: Greece, Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Moldova, Israel, Serbia, Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland.

Eurovision host Victoria Swarovski has responded to claims that she is a 'nepo baby'. She said that her success is not just because of her family name.

Victoria Swarovski has had a career as a pop singer and hosts the German version of Strictly Come Dancing. She decided not to wear a Swarovski collection for the grand final to distance herself from her family name.

The final acts of the semi-final were Poland's Alicja and Serbia's Lavinia. Alicja was supposed to perform for Poland in 2020, but the contest was canceled.

Senhit performed for San Marino, singing her song Superstar in a silver gown. She was joined by Boy George, who sang two lines.

Rylan was excited to see Boy George, but some fans thought his appearance was pointless. Boy George said that he would not take back his experience.

Lion Ceccah performed for Lithuania, wearing a silver costume. He is the Baltic nation's representative, and they have not won the contest before.

Belgium's Essyla sang her song Dancing On The Ice. She is the first solo female singer to represent Belgium in a decade.

Essyla said that her song is an anthem to the determination of youth and their ability to carve their own path. She first rose to fame on The Voice Belgium.

Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ has decided not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. They will show a Eurovision-themed episode of Father Ted instead.

RTÉ said that Ireland's participation in the contest is 'unconscionable' given the loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis. They will show the episode A Song For Europe, where Ted and Dougal perform My Lovely Horse.

Israel's participation in the contest has sparked controversy. Many countries have boycotted the contest due to Israel's military operations in Gaza.

Ireland, along with four other countries, has decided not to participate in the contest. They will not send a representative to the competition.

RTÉ said that they are deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza and the continued denial of access to international journalists.

Vanilla Ninja performed for Estonia, singing their song To Epic To Be True. They represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 11 years ago.

Rylan said that watching Vanilla Ninja was like watching a 2003 rom-com. The band has their own ice cream brand with four flavors.

Finland's Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen performed a strong number. Linda played the violin, and Pete sang.

Linda and Pete said that it's an honor to represent Finland and that they are excited to perform. They told The Independent that they are looking forward to the competition.

Montenegro's Tamara Živković competed after finishing ninth on the country's national selection contest last year.

Italy's act is Sald Da Vinci, who first found fame in the late 1970s. He performed a duet with his father, Mario, when he was seven years old.

Will Ferrell, the star of Netflix's Eurovision: The Story Of Fire Saga, said that Eurovision can be described in one word: Joy. He played Lars, an Icelandic musician and Eurovision superfan.

Georgia's Bzikebi performed an upbeat number. They won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 when they were 10 years old.

The countries boycotting Eurovision this year are Ireland, The Netherlands, Iceland, Spain, and Slovenia. They are protesting against Israel's military campaign in Gaza.

Israel's participation in the contest has sparked controversy. The country's government launched extensive military operations in Gaza in October 2023.

A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza has been operational since October 10, 2025. The countries that are boycotting the contest confirmed their exit last December.

Ireland will not show Eurovision on TV amid the country's boycott of the contest. They will show a Eurovision-themed episode of Father Ted instead.

Portugal's Bandidos do Cante performed a sweet Cante Alentejano ballad, Rosa. It's a good choice for Portugal, who have only won the competition once before.

TikTok star Akylas is performing for Greece. He wore a bright orange tiger puffer jacket, which is a typical Eurovision outfit.

Akylas' song Ferto is a true Eurovision staple. It starts high-paced with a lot of electronics and then takes a pause as he soulfully sings about his mum.

Croatia's Lelek went third, singing a ballad about female empowerment called Andromeda. They wore red and white dresses, which Rylan likened to those worn in The Handmaid's Tale.

Lelek said that their song is inspired by women who tattoo themselves to escape slavery. It's actually celebrating women and freedom of everyone, and being who you are.

Sweden's Felicia Eriksson performed her song whilst wearing a face mask. Her song, My System, is a cross-Scandinavian effort written by songwriters from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

During her performance, Felicia's mask and glasses slipped, exposing her face. It was a wardrobe malfunction that hadn't happened in the dress rehearsal.

Moldova's hip hop artist Satoshi is performing his song Viva, Moldova! His real name is Vlad Sabajuc, and he is a rapper and singer.

Satoshi's song has been described as having 'deliberating silly song lyrics... mixed with rap and folk music'. His stage name reflects his fascination with Japanese culture.

The UK can't vote tonight, but they will vote on Thursday during the second semi-final. Each country only gets to vote during one semi-final.

When the UK votes, it will be online via the official voting website. The UK's act, LookMumNoComputer, will perform for the first time on Thursday, but not competitively.

Scott Mills' replacement for the Eurovision Song Contest has been unveiled. Angela Scanlon will comment alongside Rylan Clark.

Antigoni is set to perform at the second Semi Final on Thursday, representing Cyprus. Boy George is thought to be joining the San Marino act Senhit towards the end of tonight's show.

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