Portugal qualified for the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. The song “Grito”, by iolanda, was one of the ten songs selected in the first semi-final, this Tuesday, for the final which takes place on Saturday in Malmö, Sweden.
Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Finland, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland and Luxembourg were the remaining countries qualified in tonight’s semi-final, through the votes of the European public.
Among the finalists are also, guaranteed, Sweden, as it is the host country, and the ‘Big Five’: France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and Italy. Spain, France and Italy only appear in the second semi-final, even though they are not in the competition.
iolanda was chosen as the Portuguese representative in the 2024 edition on March 10, at the Festival da Canção. “Grito” won the regional jury vote and came second in the public vote.
The second semi-final takes place this Thursday, May 9th, and features Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands.
Croatia, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, the Netherlands and Ireland lead, in this order, the bets for victory in Eurovision 2024. Portugal rose slightly after this first semi-final, now occupying 25th place in the table.
Israel’s participation is shrouded in controversy, with several artists and political representatives asking the European Broadcasting Union for a veto. iolanda, who signed a letter calling for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” in Israel’s war in Palestine and the return of all Israeli hostages, appeared on the ‘turquoise carpet’ on Sunday wearing a dress from a Palestinian brand and nails painted with the pattern of the ‘keffiyeh’, a scarf that is a symbol of Palestinian resistance.
In 2023, Portugal came in 23rd place with the song “Ai Coração”, by Mimicat.
