So we’ve reached the final hurdle of a marathon week of rehearsals in Vienna.Today saw the final rehearsals of the week for the remaining five countries from Semi Final 2 and the Big 4 plus Austria . We hopefully by the end of today will get some first clips of these rehearsals , so hold on tight and without further ado, let’s go ….

Australia -Delta Goodrem “Eclipse”

Let’s face it, this was never going to be anything but professional staging from a seasoned performer like Delta. She knows how to connect with the camera, the staging actually suits the mood of the song and at least isn’t the dominant factor in Delta’s performance, her singing is, which is what the contest was originally about. My only reservation is while this will undoubtedly impress the juries ( and I feel may easily win the Semi 2 Jury vote) , how will televoters react to it ? I think Australia will certainly qualify and will be in the top 5 in the Grand Final , as Delta does have a quite a big fan base out there ( aside from Australians) .

Ukraine -Leleka “Ridnym

Why am I singing “Sweet people” by Alyosha from Oslo 2010? Possibly because that what Leleka’s staging reminds me a bit of . In the video clip we have, she’s on stage in an all in white trouser suit ( her top looks like it’s been through the shredder though ) with floating material in the stage backdrop. There’s a man playing a traditional instrument just in the background on stage .It’s a lovely song but I have preferred other Ukrainian entries over the years . They have a 100 % qualification record and I can’t see that breaking this year.

Albania – Alis -Nan

This clip shows the song from the beginning, Alis is dressed in dark attire with a spangly cape and dark glasses . In the stage backdrop there’s an image of an older woman , who presumably represents a worried mother. It’s a bit hard to see how this will do, with only getting to see the beginning of the song. Need to see the full performance before passing judgement

Malta -Aiden “Bella”

I don’t really know what to make of this , The 35 second clip isn’t giving much away , just shows Aiden looking like he’s spinning around the stage crooning “Bella” a few times. I need to see this one in full before deciding what Aiden’s possible fate may be .

Norway -Jonas Lovv -“Ya Ya Ya “

The performance looks rather like that seen in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix. Jonas is dressed in an all in one sleeveless suit which shows lots of his tattoos ! Some of the lyrics are displayed in the backdrop.Lovers of rock and pop will like this . I don’t feel , however, that this is one of Norway’s strongest entries .Might just squeeze through into the final but only just .

Italy – Sal Da Vinci “Per sempre si “

This is very typical Italian staging, with the stage backdrop looking like a stately home with sparkly decor .It’s a come to the wedding theme , with Sal being joined by three male dancers who play the part of best men , while we also have a blushing bride. I don;t feel this is the best that Italy has offered us in comparison to past years.It’s certainly no Måneskin!

Germany -Sarah Engels -“Fire“

As depicted in the title , Sarah Engels indeed brings us fire! In the shape of scantily clad backing dancers and Sarah herself in a gold all in one suit . There’s fire pyros .It does make me think of Eleni Foureira who sang for Cyprus back in 2018 though . I think Germany may just get their best result with this. It’s the best they have sent for some time.

France -Monroe “Regarde”

I expected the French to put on some stylish staging for this .However, I thought they would go more for a Barbara Pravi type of staging with Monroe just under the spotlight in the dark . However, this looks a bit like something out of Phantom of the Opera , with the backing dancers moving around Monroe , which I feel detracts from Monroe herself . I feel the dress makes her look older than her 17 years too. France will probably score top 10 with this. As for the win? I do wonder if after two years of opera type songs winning, the public voters will be tired of this and want something different ? It will score well with the juries for sure though.

United Kingdom -Look Mum, No Computer “Eins , zwei, Drei”

Oh my goodness,this is bonkers but a lot of fun ! I have to say that as a performer, Sam really sells the song and it looks like he will be engaging with the audience during the performance too. I love the backing dancers with their furry computer monitor hats, made me chuckle . This is very Eurovision but also fits with modern times too. Surely UK can’t get 0 points in the televote again , can they ?

Austria-Cosmo -“Tanzschein”

I don’t think Austria will be troubling the scoreboard with this .The staging seems a bit lacklustre judging by the 35 second clip we have got, though it will be interesting to see the full performance.The animal figures remind me a bit of Alf Poier ‘s staging in 2003.

So that concludes my review of the later part of Semi 2 and the Big 4 plus Austria . And indeed brings a full week of rehearsals to a close. Next week we get down to the serious business of the family shows and the Jury shows and my colleagues Richard and John will be taking over from me and bringing you live blogs of the Jury shows , so keep a look out for more details about that !

Let us know what you think of Eurovision 2026 by leaving us a comment below and you can find us on our Facebook, X , Instagram and Bluesky feeds .

Author : Sarah Rudman

Source : EBU ,You Tube , Instagram

Visual sources : EBU