Greece, Finland and Iceland out but Russia, Austria and Netherlands sail through to Eurovision final
Russia, The Netherlands and Austria were among just 10 acts that secured a place in Stockholm's Saturday night spectacular
Azerbaijan, Russia, The Netherlands, Hungary, Croatia, Austria, Armenia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus and Malta have all qualified for the grand final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
They were among 18 acts vying for a place in the Saturday night spectacular, which takes place in Stockholm, Sweden on May 16th.
Competition stalwarts Russia and Azerbaijan continued their qualification streak, but there was one shock on the night, as Iceland – who were thought to have a particularly strong entry this year – failed to nab the necessary votes from the juries and viewers.
Greece failed to make it through too, as did Bosnia & Herzergovina, Estonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Moldova and Finland, who failed to qualify for the second year in a row.
There was joy for the Czech Republic, though – 2016 will mark the first time the country has qualified for a Eurovision final since the semi-final system came into play.
More like this
The final 10 places in the Grand Final will be filled on Thursday May 14th, when a further 18 nations battle to sing for glory on the Eurovision stage. UK voters will have the opportunity to dish out their douze points on the night, as Strictly Come Dancing star and former Westlife singer Nicky Byrne represents Ireland.
The Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals will air on BBC4 on Tuesday 10th May and Thursday 12th May at 8pm
The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final will air on BBC1 and BBC Radio 2 on Saturday 14th May from 8pm
