Day 5. Live Blog 2nd Rehearsals

Today we will follow the 2nd rehearsals in Ahoy, and will keep you informed live.                                                 In Cooperation with: Eurovision Artists. Photo & Video Credits: EBU

17.15 – Ukraine

Last of the day Go_A, performs with a stand-in (Emmy) for singer Kateryna Pavlenko. Kateryna did not feel quite fit this morning, and in accordance with the security measures, she remains in quarantine pending a Covid-19 test. Whether the stand-in Emmy sings live, or whether the tape recording from the first rehearsal was used, is not entirely clear. Fact is, whether you like this genre or not … the act is rock solid. With a 9th place in the polls, Ukraine will undoubtedly easily qualify for the final.

16.50 – Azerbaijan

Also today, Efendi puts down a solid rehearsal. Here and there some minor flaws in song and dance, and a little more conviction than last Sunday. 21st place in the poll. A place in the final is certainly not excluded.

 

16.25 – Romania

Roxen performs in the same comfortable as last Sunday. Although vocally a little bit stronger than during the 1st rehearsal, Roxen comes across as nervous and anxious, which does not help her voice and the strong message of her song. 16th in the polls … Final perhaps , if she manages to recover.

16.00 – Israel

During the first rehearsal it became clear that it is sometimes difficult for Eden to combine singing and dancing. The whole act looks energic and modern, but also today, Eden has trouble with the combination of singing and dancing. 17th in the polls, but will Israel make it to the final?

 

15.35 – Belgium.

Hooverphonic still impresses today with their modest, sober and well-thought-out act. A welcome change from all the visual violence. Only a 20th place in the polls, but hopefully thanks to the professional jury we will see Belgium back in the final.

14.45 – Croatia

Vocally, this rehearsal sounds a lot better than the first. The act is well put together, Albina herself still seems a bit insecure and nervous. Hopefully she will get over that before Tuesday. Own the stage girl!! With a 19th place in the polls, a final place should certainly be possible.

14.20 – Norway

Today TIX puts on a much better rehearsal than last saturday, when the nerves seemed to be playing tricks on him. TIX has a high favor- and sympathy factor, and with a 15th place in the polls, we would like to see him back in the final.

13:55 – Cyprus

Elena once again puts on an okay rehearsal, occasionally she sounds a bit out of breath. With seventh place in the polls, Cyprus will reach the final without too much trouble.

1.30 pm – Ireland

Hard work has been done in the Irish camp in recent days. The whole thing seemed very messy last Saturday, during the 2nd rehearsal all the graphics come into their own much better, and it seems as if Lesley is running barefoot through a book, turning the pages. Vocally, there is still some gains to be made. With a 24th place in the polls, the question is whether it is all good enough for a final place.

 

13.05 – North Macedonia

While there were some minor flaws in his vocals last Saturday, today Vasil puts down a solid rehearsal, although it seems that, especially at the end during the last blow, he is holding back to spare his voice. North Macedonia ranks 32 in the polls. It is very doubtful whether Vasil will be able to qualify for the final.

 

11.40 – Australia

Just like last Saturday, no rehearsal in Ahoy , since Montaigne is not present in Rotterdam, but an exclusive preview

11.15 – Sweden

Tusse had still some problems with his voice last Saturday, this now seems to have recovered completely. On stage there was an apparently self-assured, radiant Tusse, with a well-thought-out, slick act as we are used to from Sweden. Sweden ranks 10th in the polls. We will certainly see Tusse in the final

 

10.50 – Russia

No changes in the act here either. Solid and stable act and vocals. The powerful message / ode to the Russian woman is very clear! Russia is ranked 14th in the polls. Finals should not be a problem. We would not be surprised if Russia managed to get a top ten, perhaps even a 5 position  in the final

10.25 – Slovenia.

In the second rehearsal for Slovenia, Ana comes out better than last Saturday. More confident in her singing and movement across the stage, although it seems her shoes are killing her. Slovenia is in 35th place in the polls. A final place will be a challenge.

10.00 am – Lithuania. The Roop shows  a solid,  dynamic act again in the 2nd rehearsal, with little or no changes. The Roop is ranked 8th in the polls. A top ten listing should certainly be possible for the Roop.

 

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It’s Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week, four countries confirmed their Eurovision acts for Vienna (including a former Junior Eurovision champion’s comeback), national finals season gained momentum across Europe, and the EBU announced a special live concert tour to celebrate Eurovision’s 70th anniversary. Here are this week’s top stories: New Entries 🇬🇪 Georgia has confirmed Bzikebi as its representative for Eurovision 2026. The trio won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008. Almost eighteen years later, they return to the Eurovision stage as adult performers. Georgia selected Bzikebi internally. 🇲🇩 Moldova also selected its entry. Satoshi won Selecția Națională 2026 with the song Viva Moldova. He wrote and composed the entry himself. With this result, Moldova returns to Eurovision after a one-year absence. 🇲🇹 Malta chose its act through the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Aidan won the final with Bella. He wrote and composed the song on his own. Aidan previously finished close to victory in earlier Maltese selections. In Vienna, he will compete in the second semifinal. 🇨🇭 Switzerland opted for an internal selection. Veronica Fusaro will represent the country at Eurovision 2026. She is an established artist in Switzerland. Her Eurovision song will be released at a later date. Information about the artists (biography) and about the lyrics (description) can be found on our website. New is the information about the national finals. Currently, we only link to the national finals that took place or are ongoing. We are working on information on more national finals. In the scheme below, you’ll find the links: Country Artist (biography) Lyrics (description) National final Albania Alis Nân Festivali i Këngës Cyprus Antigoni TBA – Georgia Bzikebi TBA – Malta Aidan Bella MESC Moldova Satoshi Viva Moldova   Montenegro Tamara Živković Nova Zora Montesong Switzerland Veronika Fusaro TBA – National Finals 🇵🇱 Poland revealed the eight finalists for its Eurovision 2026 selection. The national final will take place in February. The winner will be decided by public voting only. source: TVP 🇷🇴 Romania officially launched its Eurovision 2026 selection. TVR opened the submission period earlier this month. The process includes several stages. A national final is planned for March, with a jury choosing the winning act. source: Eurovision Romania 🇫🇮 Finland announced the seven artists competing in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026. Yle is releasing the songs gradually throughout January. The UMK final takes place on 28 February in Tampere. Public voting and international juries will determine the result. source: YLE 🇭🇷 Croatia shared new details about Dora 2026. The competition includes two semifinals and a grand final in February. HRT also published the running order for the semifinal shows. source: HR 🇩🇪 Germany confirmed the artists for Das Deutsche Finale 2026. Nine acts will compete on 28 February. A jury will select three superfinalists. After that, the public will choose the winner. source: Eurovision.de 🇳🇴 Norway announced the first finalists for Melodi Grand Prix 2026. Eight artists already secured a place in the final. One additional act will qualify through a radio wildcard round. The final takes place on 28 February. One of the contestants is Alexander Rybak. source: NRK Other News The EBU announced the Eurovision Live Tour 2026. The tour celebrates the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It will visit several European cities during June and July. The concerts will feature former Eurovision artists and participants from the 2026 contest. Fans can expect classic Eurovision songs as well as new entries from Vienna. Ticket sales will start soon. source: eurovision.com Agenda January 20 Israel Final 20:30 CET Mako (not sure) January 24 Lithuania Semifinal 20:00 CET LRT and YouTube January 24 Luxembourg Final 20:00 CET RTL January 24 Bulgaria Semifinal 20:00 CET BNT

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Eurovision 2026
Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, January 20, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week, four countries confirmed their Eurovision acts for Vienna (including a former Junior Eurovision champion’s comeback), national finals season gained momentum across Europe, and the EBU announced a special live concert tour to celebrate Eurovision’s 70th anniversary. Here are this week’s top stories: New Entries 🇬🇪 Georgia has confirmed Bzikebi as its representative for Eurovision 2026. The trio won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2008. Almost eighteen years later, they return to the Eurovision stage as adult performers. Georgia selected Bzikebi internally. 🇲🇩 Moldova also selected its entry. Satoshi won Selecția Națională 2026 with the song Viva Moldova. He wrote and composed the entry himself. With this result, Moldova returns to Eurovision after a one-year absence. 🇲🇹 Malta chose its act through the Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Aidan won the final with Bella. He wrote and composed the song on his own. Aidan previously finished close to victory in earlier Maltese selections. In Vienna, he will compete in the second semifinal. 🇨🇭 Switzerland opted for an internal selection. Veronica Fusaro will represent the country at Eurovision 2026. She is an established artist in Switzerland. Her Eurovision song will be released at a later date. Information about the artists (biography) and about the lyrics (description) can be found on our website. New is the information about the national finals. Currently, we only link to the national finals that took place or are ongoing. We are working on information on more national finals. In the scheme below, you’ll find the links: Country Artist (biography) Lyrics (description) National final Albania Alis Nân Festivali i Këngës Cyprus Antigoni TBA – Georgia Bzikebi TBA – Malta Aidan Bella MESC Moldova Satoshi Viva Moldova   Montenegro Tamara Živković Nova Zora Montesong Switzerland Veronika Fusaro TBA – National Finals 🇵🇱 Poland revealed the eight finalists for its Eurovision 2026 selection. The national final will take place in February. The winner will be decided by public voting only. source: TVP 🇷🇴 Romania officially launched its Eurovision 2026 selection. TVR opened the submission period earlier this month. The process includes several stages. A national final is planned for March, with a jury choosing the winning act. source: Eurovision Romania 🇫🇮 Finland announced the seven artists competing in Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu 2026. Yle is releasing the songs gradually throughout January. The UMK final takes place on 28 February in Tampere. Public voting and international juries will determine the result. source: YLE 🇭🇷 Croatia shared new details about Dora 2026. The competition includes two semifinals and a grand final in February. HRT also published the running order for the semifinal shows. source: HR 🇩🇪 Germany confirmed the artists for Das Deutsche Finale 2026. Nine acts will compete on 28 February. A jury will select three superfinalists. After that, the public will choose the winner. source: Eurovision.de 🇳🇴 Norway announced the first finalists for Melodi Grand Prix 2026. Eight artists already secured a place in the final. One additional act will qualify through a radio wildcard round. The final takes place on 28 February. One of the contestants is Alexander Rybak. source: NRK Other News The EBU announced the Eurovision Live Tour 2026. The tour celebrates the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It will visit several European cities during June and July. The concerts will feature former Eurovision artists and participants from the 2026 contest. Fans can expect classic Eurovision songs as well as new entries from Vienna. Ticket sales will start soon. source: eurovision.com Agenda January 20 Israel Final 20:30 CET Mako (not sure) January 24 Lithuania Semifinal 20:00 CET LRT and YouTube January 24 Luxembourg Final 20:00 CET RTL January 24 Bulgaria Semifinal 20:00 CET BNT

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