Twenty-five countries are through to Saturday's Eurovision final in Vienna after the second semi-final on Thursday night sent 10 more acts into the contest's closing round. The field was whittled from 18 performances on stage to a full lineup for the show that will decide this year's winner.
The latest qualifiers joined Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden, while the UK, Italy, Germany and France were already in the final as the Big Four. Austria also had a place locked in as host. For the contestants who advanced on Thursday, the news came after a night of waiting, counting and speculation in front of a packed arena in Vienna.
Mark Savage, reporting from the semi-final, said the bookmakers had begun to point strongly toward Delta after the second show. He said her odds had been shortening all week and described her song as a classic ballad in the Celine Dion style, one he believed would appeal to both the public vote and the juries, who each account for half of the score. His view was direct: Delta was the one to watch.
That makes the final all the more open, but not evenly so. Savage said there was also a chance Israel could run away with the public vote, a pattern that has become familiar and controversial in recent years amid accusations from some countries that the Israeli government has tried to shape the result through costly advertising campaigns. Eurovision organisers insist that is not the case.
The betting picture after Thursday night also left a few surprises in plain view. The UK entry Look Mum No Computer was placed 21st by bookmakers, while the Cypriot entry Antigoni was ranked 16th. Antigoni was born and raised in London. Savage also said he personally thought Finland's odds were overstated.
All of that leaves Saturday's final with a familiar mix of certainty and chaos: 25 countries, two chances for the favourites to turn hype into points, and one night in Vienna that will settle who gets the trophy. The contest has its automatic qualifiers, its host country and its bookies, but it still comes down to what happens when the votes are counted on the night.
