How do the Eurovision semi-finals work?
Two semi-finals, ten qualifiers each, and six countries that skip the whole thing.
The short answer
Eurovision has two semi-finals and ten countries qualify from each one, joining the host country and the Big Five — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — who are pre-qualified for the grand final.
Eurovision has more countries wanting to compete than a single broadcast can hold. The semi-finals exist to cut roughly thirty-seven entries down to a grand final of twenty-six, and the way they do it is more deliberate than it looks.
The shape of the week
| Show | Who competes | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1 | ~16–18 countries | Top 10 |
| Semi-final 2 | ~16–18 countries | Top 10 |
| Grand final | 20 qualifiers + 6 pre-qualified | The winner |
The six who skip the semi-finals are the Big Five — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — plus the host country. For 2027 that host is Bulgaria, which means Bulgaria's entry goes straight to the final in its own contest.
Why the Big Five do not have to qualify
The Big Five are the five broadcasters that contribute the most money to the European Broadcasting Union, and therefore the most to the contest's budget. Their guaranteed place in the final is the return on that contribution.
It is the single most unpopular rule in Eurovision and it is not going anywhere, because the arithmetic underneath it is real: those five markets fund a disproportionate share of a show that every participating country benefits from. Fans dislike it. Nobody has proposed a replacement that keeps the money.
The Big Five do not sit out the semi-finals entirely. Each is assigned to one of them by draw, performs a non-competing preview during the show, and votes in it.
Who votes, and this is the part that changed
Since 2023 the semi-finals are decided by public televoting only. National juries were removed from them entirely and now vote only in the grand final.
That change matters more than it sounds. A jury and a televote reward different things — juries favour vocal control and composition, televotes favour impact and identity — so removing juries from the semis shifted which kinds of entries survive to Saturday. A polished ballad that a jury would have rescued now has to earn its place from the public alone.
How countries are split between the two semis
Not randomly. Countries are sorted into pots based on how they have historically voted for each other, and the draw pulls from those pots so that mutually-friendly neighbours are spread across both nights.
This is the contest quietly admitting that bloc voting is real. It cannot stop the Nordic countries voting for each other, so it makes sure they are not all in the same semi-final doing it at once.
The running order is chosen, not drawn
Once qualifiers are known, the producers decide the running order themselves. Only the half of the show a country appears in is drawn; the exact slot is a production decision, made for pacing.
It has a measurable effect. Performing late is worth real points, and slot two is the worst place to be in any Eurovision show. Producers are choosing which entries get the best of the broadcast, and they have never pretended otherwise.
What is not settled for 2027
The EBU republishes the rules for each contest. The two-semi format, the ten-qualifier split and the Big Five's exemption have all been stable for years, but none of them is guaranteed for Bulgaria in 2027 until the rules for that contest are published. We will update this page when they are.
FAQ
How many countries qualify from each Eurovision semi-final?
Ten from each, for twenty qualifiers in total. They join the six pre-qualified countries to make a grand final of twenty-six.
Do juries vote in the semi-finals?
No. Since 2023 the semi-finals are decided by public televoting alone. National juries only vote in the grand final.
Does the host country have to qualify?
No. The host broadcaster's country is automatically in the grand final, which for 2027 means Bulgaria.
