The 10 best songs competing at (a very contentious) Eurovision

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. The 10 best songs competing at (a very contentious) Eurovision May 14, 20265:33 PM ET Glen Weldon Croatian singers of band Lelek perform "Andromeda" during the first semifinal of Eurovision in Vienna, Austria on May 12. Tobias Schwarz/ via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Tobias Schwarz/ via Getty Images The winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, whoever it turns out to be, will have a big ol' asterisk next to their name in the history books, so let's start there: Israel's participation has caused a whopping, unprecedented five countries to boycott the event in protest of Israel's conduct in Gaza, even as the contest's organizers struggle mightily to project an apolitical, uncontroversial image. That effort is more doomed than ever this year, because the boycotting countries include dependable Eurovision powerhouses Ireland (which has won the seven-decade-old contest a record seven times, tied only with Sweden), The Netherlands (five wins) and Spain (which has only won twice, but is historically one of the contest's "Big Five" main sponsors, alongside the U.

, France, Germany and Italy, so its absence is a very big deal). Iceland and Slovenia are staying home, too. Sponsor Message That leaves 35 countries in the competition in Vienna, Austria this year, ten of which have now been eliminated in semifinals held Tuesday and Thursday.

The Details

Europe At least 4 countries pull out of 2026 Eurovision contest over Israel's participation This Saturday, the 25 countries that made it through to the Grand Final will perform their songs in astonishingly rapid succession; despite its perennial veneer of sparkly chaos, Eurovision is, from a production logistics standpoint, the very tightest of ships. , the ESC Grand Final will be streamed live on Peacock and on YouTube Saturday at 3 p. The whole megillah usually takes 4+ hours, so clear your day.

Here's how it works: To win, a song needs to do well in both the live televote, and in the votes collected from the 35 national juries — groups of music professionals in each participating country. Greece's Akylas performs "Ferto" during the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria on May 12. Georg Hochmuth/APA/ via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Georg Hochmuth/APA/ via Getty Images Televoters are overwhelmingly made up of casual fans who are experiencing the songs for the very first time — as a group, they gravitate to performances big on spectacle, pyrotechnics, choreography.

The juries, on the other hand, have spent the past few months with this music, having observed the performers at pre-parties and rehearsals. For them, it's more generally about the technical aspects — vocal skill, song structure, radio-friendliness, that kind of thing. Sponsor Message While the televotes get tallied, the jury votes will get collected over a series of what amount to janky Zoom calls to each participating country.

These calls will be marked by video lags.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.