Finland and Israel advance to Eurovision final as five countries boycott over Israel's participation

Finland, the betting favourite, and nine other nations—including Israel—qualified from the first Eurovision semi‑final on Tuesday, joining Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Croatia and several others in the Saturday final. The 70th edition of the contest will feature acts from 35 countries in the host city of Vienna, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy automatically placed in the final as major funders, and Austria as the defending champion.

Five countries—Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland—have announced a boycott to protest Israel's inclusion, following pro‑Palestinian demonstrations at recent contests and allegations of vote‑rigging. The boycott follows Russia’s expulsion in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine and is expected to affect revenue and viewership for an event that drew 166 million viewers last year.