Boy George dealt crushing blow hours before Eurovision 2026 semi-final
Eurovision 2026 will begin on Tuesday with the first semi-final, but it's not looking good for San Marino's entry
Boy George has been dealt a crushing blow just hours before the first Eurovision 2026 semi-final. Thousands of Eurovision fans have started to arrive in Vienna, Austria, ahead of the beloved singing competition kicking off this week.
The first semi-final will be held tonight (Tuesday, May 12) at 8pm UK time, with the second following on Thursday, May 14, at the same time. 30 countries will be competing for a place in Saturday's (May 16) grand final, where they will be joined by the Big Four and host nation Austria.
The countries competing in the first semi-final are Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia. Only ten of them will progress to the final.
Despite being a huge star across the world, Culture Club singer Boy George - who is representing San Marino alongside Italian vocalist Senhit - is facing an uphill battle ahead of his debut performance on the Wiener Stadthalle stage. Boy George and Senhit, who will be performing their track Superstar, are facing the biggest danger of missing out on a place in the final.
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According to BOYLE Sports, San Marino are priced at just 7/2 to qualify. Belgium and Georgia are both 7/4, while Portugal and Estonia are also at risk of falling short when votes come in, with odds of 11/10 and 11/8, respectively.
Meanwhile, Finland seem to be the ones to beat, with Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen's explosive entry Liekinheitin sending fans into a frenzy. They are now 4/7 favourites to win the semi-final, and a near-certainty at 1/500 to qualify.
After waiting since Lordi's iconic 2006 victory to lift the Eurovision trophy again, Finland are also favourites to win the whole competition this weekend. Other standouts include Denmark, Australia, and Greece.
Greece are being represented by Akylas' dramatic anthem Ferto, which has built a lot of momentum since winning the country's national selection. This has put Greece at 3/1 to win the first semi-final, and 5/1 to take the Eurovision 2026 crown. Who will be the first countries to make it through to the final? We'll have to wait and see.
The pre-qualified Big Four countries performing and voting during the first semi-final are Italy and Germany. The show will open with a journey through time, demonstrating that the seven-decade history of the Eurovision Song Contest represents "70 Years of Love".
A 70-member choir will then launch the first semi-final with a tribute to L'amour Est Bleu - one of the most popular Eurovision hits of all time. The song was notably performed by Vicky Leandros when the city of Vienna first hosted the contest in 1967.
Later, as the votes come in, the interval act will see hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski finally settle how to easily distinguish Austria from Australia, with a light-hearted musical performance alongside Go-Jo - who represented Australia in 2025.
Rylan and Angela Scanlon will be commentating for BBC viewers during both semi-finals, while Sara Cox oversees proceedings on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
The Eurovision semi-finals will air at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer on Tuesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 14, ahead of the grand final at 8pm on Saturday, May 16
