Cyprus and Australia through to Eurovision final, joining Greece

Londoner Antigoni singing for Cyprus and Australian star Delta Goodrem will capable the airwaves successful the Eurovision expansive last aft making it though the 2nd semi-final connected Thursday (Friday greeting AEST).

Contestants from 15 countries sang their hearts retired successful the Austrian superior to try to unafraid the past 10 places successful Saturday’s showpiece extravaganza astatine the Wiener Stadthalle.

Besides Australia, Denmark and Romania, which bookmakers spot among the front-runners, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Malta, Norway, and Ukraine unrecorded to combat different day.

But it was Goodnight Vienna for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Luxembourg and Switzerland, who saw their Eurovision dreams crumble.

Eurovision is the world’s biggest unrecorded televised euphony event, typically reaching much than 150 cardinal viewers, and Vienna 2026 is the 70th variation of the glitzy amusement where spectacle and play spell manus successful hand.

Australia has appeared astatine Eurovision by invitation since 2015, finishing runner-up successful 2016.

But the state could spell 1 amended this clip astir thanks to Goodrem.

The 41-year-old had a string of planetary hits successful the aboriginal 2000s and sang “Eclipse”, evoking a romanticist alignment of the planets.

She stood connected top of a glittering soft then soared into the aerial connected a riser arsenic sparks fell from the ceiling, earning a roar from the crowd.

Ten countries made it done from Tuesday’s archetypal semi-final.

Greek creator Akylas qualified earlier this week with his τραγούδι Ferto, advancing from the archetypal semi-final successful Vienna aft a show that drew praise for its theatrical staging and multilingual presentation.

Five countries pulled retired of this year’s Eurovision implicit Israel’s information – the biggest governmental boycott successful the show’s past dating backmost to 1956.

With AFP