Once again, the bettors were (almost) not mistaken. We now know the last ten countries qualified for the final of Eurovision 2023 at the end of the second semi-final, which was held this Thursday evening in Liverpool (United Kingdom). These are Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Poland, Australia, Armenia and Slovenia. These countries therefore join the France, in particular, for the big night on Saturday.
A recap of your 10 qualifiers from tonight's #Eurovision Second Semi-Final 🇦🇱🇨🇾🇪🇪🇧🇪🇦🇹🇱🇹🇵🇱🇦🇺🇦🇲🇸🇮 pic.twitter.com/9XGIZxpq4m
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 11, 2023
Six countries remain on the sidelines: Denmark, Romania, Iceland, Greece, Georgia and San Marino and join the other five countries eliminated in the first semi-final on Tuesday.
A contest as British and Ukrainian as ever
By hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine, the UK and the BBC have fully cooperated with the widely promoted Ukrainian music scene. As on Tuesday evening, the British Alesha Dixon and Hannah Waddingham presented the evening alongside the Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina.
We could also see a giant mascot of Peppa Pig throwing a caterpillar in the "Green Room", the space where the candidates wait.
PEPPA PIGGGGGGG AT EUROVISION pic.twitter.com/liVlbpQA1d
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 11, 2023
But after the performances of the sixteen candidates in competition, Ukrainian stars came on stage to perform a medley of traditional songs. Among them, Mariya Yaremchuk, Ukrainian representative at Eurovision in 2014, and Zlata Dziunka, who participated in December in Junior Eurovision, won by Frenchman Lissandro.
Before the long-awaited names of the qualifiers were revealed, the three British drag queens Miss Demeanour, Mercedes Benz-Over and Tomara Thomas set fire to the stage, joined by the Ukrainian dance troupe Podilya.
"Do we have your attention?" #Eurovision pic.twitter.com/6Bn7S20UbF
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) May 11, 2023
Discovering Spain, the United Kingdom and Ukraine
The evening also gave viewers the opportunity to discover the other three candidates qualified directly for the final, after a presentation of the France, Italy and Germany on Tuesday.
Read alsoEurovision quiz: star winners, results of the France... How familiar are you with the contest?
Thus, the Spaniard Blanca Paloma evoked her original proposal "Eaea", a tribute to her grandmother. At his side are the two "locals" of the stage, the British Mae Muller, who closed the show Saturday in 26th position, and the Ukrainian duo Tvorchi, whose song evokes the fight against nuclear war.
Now it's time for the grand finale on Saturday night, where 26 countries will compete to succeed Kalush Orchestra. For the France, La Zarra will perform her song "Obviously", still ranked 4th among bettors, while the victory seems promised to the great Swedish favorite Loreen.
