The ESC 2025 first semifinal is in the books, and what a semifinal it was. I hope you like surprises, because we had a few.
They happen every year at Eurovision, after all, but it’s finding where they will emerge that is part of the fun. Well, perhaps this is less fun for you if you are from Belgium. No, this is not a copy-and-paste from 2024: It happened again.
We took to the mean streets of the internet to share reactions to Tuesday’s first semifinal, go through the countries that made it, and share surprises and disappointments.
ESC 2025 First Semifinal Recap: The Video
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Which 10 Countries Made it?
The ten qualifiers from the ESC 2025 first semifinal were, in alphabetical order:
- Albania
- Estonia
- Iceland
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Sweden
- Ukraine
Not qualifying were Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, and Slovenia. In terms of predictions, we got eight out of 10 correct.
ESC 2025 First Semifinal Recap: The Good, The Bad, and The Other
We get into some thoughts in the video, but here are a few things which did not make the final cut. After all, it was hot in that sauna.
Good: Switzerland’s performance. They were an unofficial performer in the first semifinal, but Zoë Më received our highest vocal score of the night.
Bad: The audio quality. On the American broadcast via Peacock, the audio was tinny and the performers sounded distant. It went for the entire semifinal.
Good: Celine Dion. She did not attend the semifinal, but she addressed the crowd in a recorded message.
Other: Martin Österdahl did not get to speak. The two hosts exclaimed “we’re good to go” while he smiled for the crowd. No doubt this is due to last year’s incident with the Dutch song.
Bad: Another shock NQ for Belgium. They were fifth in the odds to win Eurovision earlier in the day on Tuesday, 13 May. Belgium never fell out of the top ten in the odds at any point. It was a huge miss by the bettors, by Belgium, or both.
Good: Petra Mede. She was back and part of the interval act, singing with the two hosts. Where do I sign the petition to make her a permanent host?
Next Up
The second semifinal will take place on Thursday at 9pm Central European Time.
