On Thursday night, fifteen countries will compete in Semi-Final Two of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Ahead of the contest, we’ve made this handy guide to knowing who’s representing which country and with what song.
In the months leading up to now, we’ve had the pleasure of speaking to several of this year’s participants at numerous pre-parties. Check out our interviews here!
🇦🇱 Albania: Alis – “Nân”
Stadthalle, Vienna 2026. Image source: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
Facts:
- Selection method – Festivali i Këngës 2026
- Language – Albanian
- Songwriters – Alis Kallaçi, Desara Gjini
- Running order position – 13th in Semi-Final Two
Alis Kallaçi, better known as Alis, was born in Shkodër in northern Albania. He studied piano at the Prenk Jakova Art School in Shkodër.
In 2024, Alis won the fifth season of X Factor Albania. His coach on the show was Arilena Ara, who was due to represent Albania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020. After his win, he released his debut single “Se të dua”, a collaboration with Arilena Ara.
In Decmeber 2024, Alis participated in Festivali i Këngës 63 with “Mjegull”. He finished third in the final.
Alis was selected to represent Albania at Eurovision 2026 after winning Festivali i Këngës 64. He won both the jury and public votes in the final.
🇦🇲 Armenia: Simón – “Paloma Rumba”
Rehearsal at Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna 2026. Image source: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English (with some lines in Spanish)
- Songwriters – David Tserunyan, Eva Voskanyan, Lilit Navasardyan and Roza Kostandyan
- Running order position – 6th in Semi-Final Two
Simon Hovhannisyan, better known as SIMÓN, was born on August 9, 1994 in Hrazdan in central Armenia. He studied economics at university but he did not pursue the field professionally, instead focusing on music and dance.
In 2025, Simón participated in Depi Evratesil, the Armenian selection for Eurovision 2025, with “Ay Paparey Bye”. He won the Armenian and international jury votes and finished second overall. Later that year, he released his second single “Paranoia”.
The song that SIMÓN will perform in Vienna is called “Paloma Rumba”. It was written by David Tserunyan, Eva Voskanyan, Lilit Navasardyan and Roza Kostandyan. Navasardyan wrote the Armenian entries for Eurovision 2016 and 2017, as well as for Junior Eurovision 2025. Roza Kostandyan, better known as Rosa Linn, represented Armenia in Eurovision 2022 with “Snap”.
🇦🇺 Australia: Delta Goodrem – “Eclipse”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Delta Goodrem, Ferras Alqaisi, Jonas Myrin, Michael Fatkin
- Running order position – 11th in Semi-Final Two
Delta Goodrem was born on November 9, 1984 in Sydney. As a chlid, she appeared in several advertisements and had small television acting roles. She used the money from this work to record a demo CD, which led to her getting a record deal. Her debut single “I Don’t Care” was released in 2001 but was unsuccessful, peaking at number 63 on the Australian Singles Chart.
In 2002, Goodrem was cast as Nina Tucker on the popular Australian soap opera Neighbours. Her next single “Born to Try” was premiered on the show and reached number one in both Australia and New Zealand and was certified Triple Platinum in Australia, relaunching Goodrem’s music career. Goodrem also won Most Popular New Talent at the 2003 Logie Awards, the Australian television awards.
In January 2003, Goodrem released “Lost Without You”, which became her second number one single in Australia. It also charted in the top 10 in New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In March of that year, she released her debut album “Innocent Eyes”. The album remained at number one in Australia for 29 consecutive weeks and was the best selling album of 2003 there.
In July 2003, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphona, a form of cancer, forcing her to pause her career to receive treatment. Single releases continued, giving Goodrem five consecutive number ones and making her the first Australian artist to achieve five number one singles from the same album. Goodrem went on to win seven awards at the ARIA Music Awards, including Best Female Artist, breaking the record for most awards won in one night.
In December 2003, Goodrem announced that her cancer was in remission and she resumed her career. In 2004, she released “Out of the Blue”, the first single from her second album “Mistaken Identity”, which also reached number one in Australia. In 2005, she released “Almost Here”, a duet with her then-boyfriend Brian McFadden of Westlife. The song became Goodrem’s seventh number one single and her first number one single in Ireland. In July of the same year, she embarked on her first concert tour of Australia, The Visualize Tour.
In 2006, Goodrem performed at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2006 in Melbourne with “Together We Are One”, a song written specifically for the event. The following year, she released her third album “Delta”. In 2008, she won Highest Selling Single at the ARIA Music Awards and Best Selling Australian Artist at the World Music Awards.
In 2011, Goodrem was announced as one of the coaches on the Australian version of The Voice. She remained a coach on the show for the first nine seasons, with the exception of season 3 and was a coach on the only series of The Voice Kids in 2014. Goodrem has several connections to Eurovision through the show. Guy Sebastian, who was a coach alongside Goodrem, represented Australia on their Eurovision debut in 2015. Boy George, who was also a coach, will represent San Marino alongside Senhit in this year’s contest. Goodrem also wrote “My Girls”, Australia’s entry for Junior Eurovision 2015 and coached Jordan Anthony, who represented Australia at Junior Eurovision 2019.
In 2012, while still on The Voice, Goodrem released her fourth album “Child of the Universe”. It is the single “Sitting on Top of the World”, which was certified double platinum in Australia.
In 2015, Goodrem released “Only Human” a single to coincide with her return as Nina Tucker to Neighbours to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Later that year, she released “Wings”, her first number one single in eight years. The same year, she made her musical theatre debut as Grizabella in an Australian version of Cats. In 2016, she released her fifth album “Wings of the Wild”.
In 2020, Goodrem released the charity single “Let It Rain” in aid of those affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia. At the end of the year, she released a surprise Christmas album “Only Santa Knows”. In 2021, she released her most recent album “Bridge Over Troubled Dreams”.
In 2023, Goodrem went on her first headline tour of Europe, performing in eight countries. The same year, she starred as the lead in the Netflix film Love Is in the Air.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan: Jiva – “Just Go”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English & Azerbaijani
- Songwriters – Fuad Javadov, Mads Enggaard
- Running order position – 2nd in Semi-Final Two
Jamila Hashimova, better known as JIVA, was born on September 9, 1982 in Moscow in Russia to Azerbaijani parents. She later moved to Azerbaijan.
JIVA began her career in 2003, after finishing second in the Baku Autumn contest. In 2007, she participated in Show Time, and in 2011, she participated in Milli Seçim Turu 2011, the Azerbaijani selection for Eurovision 2011.
JIVA has participated in several festivals in Azerbaijan and abroad, like the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and Zhara Fest in Baku. In 2025, she won the third season of Səs Azərbaycan (The Voice of Azerbaijan).
🇧🇬 Bulagria: Dara – “Bangaranga”
Facts:
- Selection method – Natsionalna Selektsiya 2026
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Anne Judith Wik, Cristian Tarcea, Darina Yotova (Dara), Dimitris Kontopoulos
- Running order position – 1st in Semi-Final Two
Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, better known as DARA, was born on September 8, 1998 in Varna in eastern Bulgaria. She first came to public attention after finishing third on the fourth series of X Factor in 2015. The artist who finished second in the same series was Kristian Kostov, who represented Bulgaria in Eurovision 2017.
After her appearance on X Factor, Yotova signed a record deal and adopted the stage name DARA. Her debut single “K’vo ne chu” was released in 2016 and was an instant success in Bulgaria. An English version of the song “Onto You” was also recorded.
Over the next few years, DARA continued to release multiple singles including “Rodena takava”, which became her first number one single on the Bulgarian Airplay Chart, “Nedei” and “Nyama da si tragnesh s drug”, a collaboration with hip-hop duo Pavell and Venci Venc’.
In 2020, DARA took part in Kato dve kapki voda, the Bulgarian version of Your Face Sounds Familiar. She finished third in the final.
In 2021, DARA became a coach on the eighth season of The Voice of Bulgaria. She has been a coach on every season since and has been the winning coach twice.
In 2022, DARA released her debut album “Rodena takava”. The same year, she released the single “Mr. Rover”, which was later covered by Kai, a South Korean singer and member of the K-Pop boyband Exo. DARA’s most recent album “Adhdara”, was released in 2025.
🇨🇾 Cyprus: Antigoni – “Jalla”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English & Greek
- Songwriters – Antigoni Buxton, Connor Mullally-Knight, Klejdi Lupa, Paris Kalpos, Trey Qua, Charalambos Kallona, Demetris Nikolaou
- Running order position – 8th in Semi-Final Two
Antigoni Buxton, better known simply as Antigoni, was born on March 9, 1996 in London in the United Kingdom to Greek Cypriot parents. In 2022, she competed in the eighth season of the British reality show Love Island.
Antigoni released her first single “2 Steps” in 2019. After releasing some more singles, she released her first EP “A1” in 2020. Her second and most recent EP “Hexagon” was released in 2023.
🇨🇿 Czechia: Daniel Žižka – “Crossroads”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Daniel Žižka, Viliam Béreš
- Running order position – 5th in Semi-Final Two
Daniel Žižka was born in Prague. He initially studied musical theatre at the Jaroslav Ježek Conservatory, but eventually started writing and performing his own music.
Žižka released his debut single “Pierrot” in 2023. He has since released more singles over the following years, such as “Talk” and “23:23”. The Czech magazine Headliner described Žižka as one of the future talents of the Czech music scene. He is currently working on his debut EP.
🇩🇰 Denmark: Søren Torpegaard Lund – “Før vi går hjem”
Facts:
- Selection method – Melodi Grand Prix 2026
- Language – Danish
- Songwriters – Clara Sofie Fabricius, Søren Torpegaard Lund, Thomas Meilstrup, Valdemar Littauer Bendixen
- Running order position – 10th in Semi-Final Two
Søren Torpegaard Lund was born in Gudme on December 23, 1998 and grew up in the Svendborg Municipality, in Southern Denmark.
He received his first trainings in theatre, dance, and music during his school years. At the age of 17 he was accepted to the Musicalakademiet, a branch of the Danish Stage Arts School, where he would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in 2019. From that moment on Søren Torpegaard Lund began working as a musical performer, most notably playing the lead role of Tony in West Side Story at the Copenhagen Opera House between 2021 and 2022.
Søren Torpegaard Lund is not new to the stage of Dansk Melodi Grand Prix: in 2023 he took part to the same competition with “Lige her”, failing to qualify for the superfinal. However, 2023 was also the year when he released his first self-authored single, “Stor kunst”. A year later, in October 2024, he released his debut EP, “Øjesten”.
In 2024, Søren Torpegaard Lund was nominated for the Danish Rainbow Awards in the category “Artist of the Year”. This award is given to a person or group who, through sports, music, dance or acting, has pushed boundaries in or for the LGBT+ community.
🇱🇻 Latvia: Latvia: Atvara – “Ēnā”
Facts:
- Selection method – Supernova 2026
- Language – Latvian
- Songwriters – Jānis Jačmenkins, Liene Atvara
- Running order position – 9th in Semi-Final Two
Liene Stūrmane, better known as Atvara, was born on April 2, 1993 in Liepāja in western Latvia. After being enrolled in a music school by her mother, she went on to study conducting and jazz and pop singing.
Between 2012 and 2013, Atvara worked as a television presenter on shows such as Dziedošās ģimenes and Koru kari.
In 2017, Atvara participated in the first season of X Faktors. She made it past the audition stage but was not selected for the live show. After working as an English teacher, she moved to Copenhagen to study at the Danish School of Media and Journalism in 2019. She then returned to Latvia and started working in marketing for digital content creators, including the Latvian radio station Star FM.
In 2024, Atvara released her debut single “Pie manis tveries”. The song was very successful and received over 2 million views on TikTok. It was later included in the Latvian television series Nelūgtie viesi.
In 2025, Atvara collaborated with Intars Busulis, who represented Latvia in Eurovision 2009, on the song “Vai drīkst kāpt dziļāk”. The same year, she embarked on her first national tour of Latvia, with 20 sold out dates across the country. She also released her debut album “Vol.1 Vai dzirdi, kā brūces dzīst”, which includes “Dzīve mūs mētā”, which finished tenth in the annual Muzikālā banka award.
🇱🇺 Luxembourg: Eva Marija – “Mother Nature”
Facts:
- Selection method – Luxembourg Song Contest 2026
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Eva Marija, Kill J, Maria Broberg, Thomas Stengaard
- Running order position – 4th in Semi-Final Two
Eva Marija Kavaš Puc, better known as Eva Marija, was born in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, on December 24, 2005. Her parents are Slovenian from Ljubljana and Beltinci, who emigrated to Luxembourg in 2003 for their work at European Union institutions.
Eva Marija’s approach to music and to the Eurovision Song Contest started very early, as she states that she fell in love with the violin after watching Alexander Rybak’s winning performance of “Fairytale” at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. Since that moment, she went on to pursue a multi-disciplinary path at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg, studying violin, singing, piano and bass guitar, ranging across genres from jazz and classical to pop/rock.
In October 2025, the Luxembourgish broadcaster RTL announced that Eva Marija had been selected to compete as a finalist in the third edition of the Luxembourg Song Contest with the song “Mother Nature”. She would go on to win both the jury and public vote in the final, scoring 222 points. As a result, she won the right to represent Luxembourg at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna.
🇲🇹 Malta: Aidan – “Bella”
Facts:
- Selection method – MESC 2026
- Language – English, Maltese, some words in Italian
- Songwriters – Aidan Cassar, Joep Van Den Boom, Sarah Bonnici
- Running order position – 14th in Semi-Final Two
Aidan Cassar, better known as Aidan, was born on December 17, 1999 in Żejtun in southern Malta. In 2015, he participated in the Malta Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the Maltese selection for Junior Eurovision 2015. The same year, he released his debut single “Rule the World”.
In 2018, Aidan participated in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. He finished fourth in the final with “Dai Laga”. The same year, he participated in the first season of X Factor Malta, where he was eliminated at the Judges’ Houses stage.
In 2019, Aidan released the single “The Feeling”, which reached number 1 on the Maltese Domestic Airplay Chart. Aidan achieved 12 number one singles to date. In 2021, he released his first single in Maltese “Naħseb Fik”. The song won Best Music Video at Lovin Malta Social Media Awards later that year.
In 2022, Aidan finished second in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with “Ritmu”. Following this, he performed at several Eurovision pre-parties and was the Maltese spokesperson for Eurovision 2022.
In 2023, Aidan released his debut album “This is Aidan”. He was due to participate in the Malta Eurovision Song Contest the same year but was disqualified following social media posts about his song that were not allowed under contest rules. His second studio album “Cowboys Don’t Cry” was released on March 20.
🇳🇴 Norway: Jonas Lovv – “Ya ya ya”
Rehearsal at Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna 2026. Image source: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Facts:
- Selection method – Melodi Grand Prix 2026
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Sondre Skaftun, Jonas Lovv
- Running order position – 15th in Semi-Final Two
Jonas Lovv, short for Jonas Lovv Hellesøy, was born in Bergen, Western Norway, on September 8, 1994. From 2014 to 2020 Jonas was the frontman of the Bergen-based band Shuffle Baby, with which he auditioned to the TV show Idol.
From 2020, Jonas Lovv has been releasing several singles and one EP. He became known to the wider public in 2025, when he participated in the tenth season of The Voice Norway, reaching the semi-final. Since that moment, Jonas has been performing on some of Norway’s largest festival stages.
Jonas Lovv was one of the artists that were announced by the Norwegian broadcaster NRK as part of the line-up for Melodi Grand Prix 2026. During the competition he received the maximum amount of points from both the jury and the televote, earning the right to represent Norway at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the entry “Ya ya ya”.
🇷🇴 Romania: Alexandra Căpitănescu – “Choke Me”
Facts:
- Selection method – Selecția Națională 2026
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Alexandra Căpitănescu, Călin-Alexandru Grăjdan, Elvis-Claudiu Silitră, Ștefan Condrea
- Running order position – 3rd in Semi-Final Two
Alexandra Căpitănescu was born on July 31, 2003 in Galați in eastern Romania. She started studying singing and piano at the age of 10. She graduated from the Faculty of Physics in Bucharest.
In 2023, Căpitănescu participated in the eleventh season of Vocea României and won. The following year, she released her debut EP “Căpitanu’”. Since January of this year, she has been a temporary member of the folk-metal band E-an-na.
Alexandra Căpitănescu was selected to represent Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after winning Selecția națională 2026. She received the highest points from five members of the seven-member jury.
🇨🇭 Switzerland: Veronica Fusaro – “Alice”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Charlie McClean, Veronica Fusaro
- Running order position – 7th in Semi-Final Two
Veronica Fusaro was born and raised in Thun, Switzerland. She first gained national attention in 2014 on The Voice Switzerland, where she reached the knockout stage as part of Stefanie Heinzmann’s team.
In 2016, she was awarded Demo of the Year by the Demotape Clinic and named Best Talent of the Month by SRF 3. Her breakthrough followed in 2019 with the single “Rollercoaster”, which received widespread radio airplay across Switzerland.
Fusaro has also performed at major festivals including Glastonbury Festival and Montreux Jazz Festival. She describes her music as a blend of pop with elements of soul and rock.
Fuasro released her debut album All the Colors of the Sky in 2023 and followed it with Looking for Connection in October 2025.
🇺🇦 Ukraine: Leléka – “Ridnym”
Facts:
- Selection method – Vidbir 2026
- Language – English, Ukranian
- Songwriters – Adama Cefalu, Jakob Hegner, Viktoria Leléka, Yaroslav Dzhus
- Running order position – 12th in Semi-Final Two
LELÉKA is actually an Ukrainian-German band founded in Berlin in 2016 that blends Ukrainian folklore elements with modern jazz. The ensemble is a music project of Viktoria Leleka, singer-songwriter and lead of the group, who is however going to represent Ukraine as a soloist.
Viktoria Leleka was born in Pershotravensk, in the Dnipropetrovsk province, on November 10, 1990. She graduated in acting and performing arts from the Karpenko-Karyi Theatre University in Kyiv and initially went on to work as an actress at the Molodyi Theatre, in the Ukrainian capital. Later she completed her education in Germany, earning a second degree in jazz vocals, as well as a master’s degree in composition.
From 2016 to 2018 she participated in a large number of competitions and won prizes, both solo and with the group, such as the StuVo Jazz Contest, the Creole – Global Music Contest, and the European Young Jazz Talent Award at the Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen.
The band released their first EP, Leléka, in 2017, their debut album “Tuman”, and their second album, “Sontse u sertsi”, in 2021. In 2020, they wrote and produced the music for the Ukrainian historical television series “There will be people”.
In 2024, Viktoria Leleka launched the pop and electronic music project “Donbasgrl”, debuting with the single “Zbroia”, based on a poem by Lesya Ukrainka.
The pre-qualified finalists who will be taking to the stage in Semi-Final Two are UK, France, and Austria. You can find out more about their acts below.
🇦🇹 Austria: Cosmó – “Tanzschein”
Facts:
- Selection method – Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?
- Language – German
- Songwriters – Benjamin Gedeon (Cosmo), Elias Stejskal, Ella Stern
- Running order position – After Cyprus in 8th position
Benjamin Gedeon, better known as Cosmó, is an Austrian singer and songwriter that was born on June 18, 2006 in Budapest, Hungary. He grew up in Halbturn, in Burgenland, the most eastern state of Austria, where he was exposed to music at a very young age.
He started attending early musical education at the age of four at the Neusiedl am See Central Music School. Two years later, Cosmó began piano lessons at the same school; however, it wasn’t until 13 years of age that he started taking taking singing lessons. Around this age, he also began composing melodies and writing lyrics.
In 2020 Cosmó auditioned for The Voice Kids Germany, but was eliminated after the second round. He came back in 2022 and reached the final under the coaching of the singer Álvaro Soler and, as a result, Cosmó was able to performe at two of Soler’s concerts that year.
In 2021 he entered podium.jazz.pop.rock…, the competition for young musicians from Burgenland. He won the contest with his self-composed piece “Fall into your arms”. He started publishing his first singles in 2022, and last year he also released his very first EP, “From my room”.
Cosmó was selected to represent Austria on home soil at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on February 20, after winning Vienna Calling – Who Will Sing for Austria? with “Tanzschein”. He placed second with the juries, receiving 10 points, and first with the televote, winning the competition with a set of 22 points.
🇫🇷 France: Monroe – “Regarde !”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – French
- Songwriters – Christopher Cohen, Fred Savio, Fredie Marche, Maxime Morise
- Running order position – After Czechia in 5th position
Monroe Vata Rigby, better known simply as Monroe, was born on November 19, 2008 in Salt Lake City in the United States. Her mother is French of Congolese descent and her father is American. She began singing after joining her church choir. She later learned to play piano.
In 2024, Monroe competed in the eleventh season of Prodiges, a France 2 show for classical dance and music. She won the show and received a scholarship for €10,000. She released her self-titled debut album in November 2025, which featured classical pieces and crossover songs. She scheduled to go on tour around France from this month until October. She recently performed with Amercian singer Josh Groban at his concert in Paris.
🇬🇧 UK: Look Mum No Computer – “Eins, Zwei, Drei”
Facts:
- Selection method – Internal selection
- Language – English
- Songwriters – Kill J, Lasse Midtsian Nymann, Sam Battle (Look Mum No Computer), Thomas Stengaard
- Running order position – After Ukraine in 12th position
Sam Battle, better known as Look Mum No Computer, was born in Grantham in northern England. As a child, he showed a strong interest in mechanics.
In 2013, Battle set up his YouTube channel, which was originally used as a platform for the band Zibra, for which he was the frontman. Zibra performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2015.
In 2019, Battle released his first solo single “Groundhog Day”. This was his first release under the name Look Mum No Computer. His stage name comes from the fact that he builds analog synthesisers, which work without a computer.
Look Mum No Computer’s YouTube channel has received over 84 million views to date and he has 1.4 million followers across various social media platforms. The YouTube features music and videos on unusual inventions, including an organ made of Furby toys, the world’s largest drone synthesiser (for which he holds a world record) and his custom-built modular synthesiser “Kosmo”.
Look Mum No Computer also runs a museum called “This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete” in Ramsgate on the southeast coast of England. The museum his personal builds alongside donated historical pieces, and visitors are encouraged to interact with obsolete technology.
