The second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Thursday night delivered a verdict that left Swiss fans crestfallen and European audiences divided. Veronica Fusaro, the 28-year-old Swiss singer of Calabrian origin, failed to secure a place in Saturday’s final with her pop-rock anthem ‘Alice’, a song about toxic love and emotional entrapment. Instead, the ten qualifiers included Romania’s ‘Choke Me’, a track that has drawn sharp criticism for its apparent glorification of violence, and Ukraine’s defiant entry, which the Italian press described as a song of resistance and hope. The juxtaposition could hardly have been starker: one message of liberation dismissed, another of ambiguous provocation rewarded.

The political fault lines running through this year’s contest, already visible before a note was sung, deepened further. Viewed from Berlin, the entire event has been overshadowed by the participation of Israel, whose entry triggered boycott threats from several nations and a palpable tension inside the Wiener Stadthalle. The moderation duo of Swarovski and Ostrowski, meanwhile, has faced mounting criticism from fans for a lacklustre presentation, a distraction the organisers can ill afford as they prepare for the final. Analysts in London note that the semi-final outcome has inflamed a broader debate about the contest’s cultural compass: does Eurovision still celebrate artistic merit, or has it become a mirror for Europe’s political fractures?

For Switzerland, the elimination ends a run of consecutive final appearances stretching back to 2019. Fusaro, who delivered what even her detractors called a sleek, professionally staged performance, was visibly crushed. ‘Es schisst unfassbar fest ah,’ she told Swiss media – it sucks incredibly hard. The public broadcaster SRF has already signalled it will review its internal selection process, which since 2019 has been conducted behind closed doors. Yet the disappointment in Bern is tempered by an acknowledgement that the competition was fierce: Norway and Denmark qualified with catchy pop numbers, while Bulgaria, Malta and Cyprus all advanced with polished offerings. The post-it-note outfit worn by one performer, mockingly noted in the Swiss press, did not suffice.

As the final approaches, attention shifts to the narratives that will dominate the grand finale. Ukraine’s entry carries an emotional weight that transcends entertainment, a deliberate message of perseverance from a nation at war. Romania’s ‘Choke Me’, by contrast, may become a lightning rod for protests, both inside the hall and among viewers. The boycott disputes surrounding Israel’s participation are far from resolved, and the moderators’ missteps have some wondering whether Vienna can host a seamless climax to a turbulent edition. From a forward-looking perspective, the 2026 contest already feels less like a celebration of pop unity and more like a stress test of Eurovision’s ability to contain the very forces it was designed to transcend.