Countries prepare for second Eurovision Song Contest semi final

Another 17 countries will compete for a place in the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.

Another 17 countries will compete for a place in the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.

The second semi-final takes place in Rotterdam on Thursday, with 10 places in Saturday’s showpiece event up for grabs.

Competing for a final spot are countries including San Marino, Greece, Poland, Serbia, Albania and Portugal.

One act who will not be performing live on the night however is Iceland’s Daoiog Gagnamagnio.

The group pulled out of in-person performing due to a positive Covid-19 test.

The Icelandic delegation had already been in quarantine after a positive test on Sunday and had undergone PCR testing.

Their song will remain in the competition and their rehearsal performance, recorded on the stage on May 13, will be shown during the broadcast.

In the first semi-final, Ireland’s entry Lesley Roy missed out on qualifying for the final.

Norway, Israel, Russia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Lithuania, Cyprus, Sweden, Belgium and Ukraine made it through.

UK entry James Newman qualifies automatically for the last round of the competition with his song Embers.

In addition to Ireland and Australia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia also exited at the semi-final stage.

Viewers in the UK were unable to vote in the first semi-final, however they will be able to cast their ballots in the second semi-final.

Published: 20/05/2021 by Radio NewsHub