Tonight, the second semi final of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest took place in Liverpool, where 16 countries competed. Now, the final ten qualifiers for the final have been revealed.
How are qualifiers decided?
In a sharp change announced late last year it was revealed that the previous system of voting to select the qualifiers for the Eurovision final that had been in place for over a decade would be overhauled. Prior to the change the change the finalists were decided by an equally weighted televote and jury vote. With each country (excluding San Marino which had a bespoke system in place) having a simple televote combined with a five person jury in each country to pick the finalists. Instead, the jury system has been removed, meaning that only the public will decide the fate of the semi finalists. The change does not affect final itself. Additionally, for the first time ever, the rest of the world had been allowed to vote. People outside of broadcast countries could vote via the internet and were added together and counted as a single country.
Please note that the exact breakdown of results are not revealed until after the results of the final have been announce.
Who are the qualifiers?
Countries listed in bold have made it to the final
| Running Order | Country | Artist | Song | Qualified |
| 1 | Denmark | Reiley | Breaking My Heart | Not Qualified |
| 2 | Armenia | Brunette | Future Lover | Qualified |
| 3 | Romania | Theodor | D.G.T. (Off and On) | Not Qualified |
| 4 | Estonia | Alika | Bridges | Qualified |
| 5 | Belgium | Gustaph | Because of You | Qualified |
| 6 | Cyprus | Andrew Lambrou | Break a Broken Heart | Qualified |
| 7 | Iceland | Diljá | Power | Not Qualified |
| 8 | Greece | Victor Vernicos | What They Say | Not Qualified |
| 9 | Poland | Blanka | Solo | Qualified |
| 10 | Slovenia | Joker Out | Carpe Diem | Qualified |
| 11 | Georgia | Iru | Echo | Not Qualified |
| 12 | San Marino | Piqued Jacks | Like an Animal | Not Qualified |
| 13 | Austria | Teya & Salena | Who the Hell is Edgar | Qualified |
| 14 | Albania | Albina & Familja Kelmendi | Duje | Qualified |
| 15 | Lithuania | Monika Linkytė | Stay | Qualified |
| 16 | Australia | Voyager | Promise | Qualified |
What happens next?
Once the show has finished, the ten qualifying artists are taken to a press conference where after taking a few questions from the press, will then draw which half of the final they will perform in. There are five spots in each half of the final remaining.
Later on this evening, once the press conference if finished, the production team for this year’s contest will create the running order for Saturday’s final show. After the first semi final halves were drawn, this is the current make up of the 2023 final:
| Country | Artist | Song | Half |
| France | La Zarra | “Évidemment” | First |
| Italy | Marco Mengoni | “Due Vite” | First |
| Spain | Blanca Paloma | “Eaea” | First |
| Switzerland | Remo Forrer | “Watergun” | First |
| Finland | Käärijä | “Cha Cha Cha” | First |
| Portugal | Mimicat | “Ai Coração” | First |
| Sweden | Loreen | “Tattoo” | First |
| Serbia | Luke Black | “Samo Mi Se Spava” | First |
| German | Lord of the Lost | “Blood and Glitter” | Second |
| Croatia | Let 3 | “Mama ŠČ!” | Second |
| Norway | Alessandra | “Queen of Kings” | Second |
| Israel | Noa Kirel | “Unicorn” | Second |
| Czechia | Vesna | “My Sister’s Crown” | Second |
| Moldova | Pasha Parfeni | “Soarele şi Luna” | Second |
Additionally, due to the United Kingdom and Ukraine being joint hosts their position is pre-determined. Ukraine drew at random to perform 19th, and the United Kingdom drew to perform last at 26th place.
Eurovision 2023
Although Ukraine won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, due to the ongoing Russian invasion they are unable to host the 2023 event. Instead, the United Kingdom stepped in, as 2022’s runner-up. Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May 2023. The contest will take place at the M&S Arena, with 37 countries taking part. The full production team behind the 2023 contest is listed here. The contest is a co-production between host broadcaster the BBC and last year’s winning broadcaster, Suspilne.
Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina and Hannah Waddingham will host the semi-finals. Graham Norton will join the presenting team for the grand final.
What are your thoughts of the qualifiers for Semi-Final One? Do you think the right countries made it to the final? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: The European Broadcasting Union
Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett, Chloe Hashemi / EBU
