Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland and Luxembourg have already qualified for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. At Malmö Arena, 15 countries fought for qualification but only 10 passed. Iolanda, with “Grito”, guaranteed the Portuguese passage to the final stage of the competition, which takes place in Sweden, the home country of Abba who, precisely 50 years ago, won Eurovision with “Waterloo”.
In addition to the host country, the so-called Big Five, a group of countries that make the largest financial contribution to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizing entity of the event created in 1956, are automatically qualified for the final on May 11th. On the 9th, 16 countries will play in the second semi-final, also looking for a place in the last show.
The 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest is surrounded by controversy, mainly due to Israel’s participation. The Middle Eastern country, which has participated in the event since 1973, invaded the Gaza strip at the end of October 2023, after the terrorist attack on October 7, carried out by Hamas. Unlike what happened with Russia, banned from the competition after the invasion of Ukraine, Israel remains in both the EBU and the musical competition.
Review Iolanda’s performance in the first semi-final
Tags: Portugal passes final Eurovision Meet finalists Television
