When is Eurovision 2022? When the 66th Song Contest will take place

17 acts from the Eurovision 2022 line-up have already taken to the stage to represent their countries in the first semi-final of the competition.

Despite qualifying for the competition, Russia will no longer take part in Eurovision 2022, following the invasion in Ukraine.

Fortunately for us, the UK automatically qualifies for the final along with the rest of the song contest’s “big five” nations – France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

This year, the UK will be represented by TikTok star Sam Ryder, who'll be performing his song Space Man and has already been tipped as a potential winner (genuinely), though he'll have to beat Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra - the odds-on favourite to win.

The three-day event kicked off with the first of the semi-finals on Tuesday 10th May, but how can you watch the entire event and vote?

We’ve also rounded up which countries are taking part as well as the latest ticket information in case you want to get a seat at the iconic contest.

When is Eurovision 2022? Song Contest start time

The Eurovision Grand Final will take place on Saturday 14th of May 2022 in Turin, Italy.

Eurovision will run across three events this year. The first semi-final kicked off on Tuesday 10th May 2022.

The second semi-final will air on Thursday 12th May 2022.

When is the Eurovision semi-final 1?

The first Eurovision semi-final took place on Tuesday, 10th May at 8pm. UK viewers were able to watch the event on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer from 8pm.

It saw the first set of countries in the line-up competing in the hopes of securing one of the 10 spots in Saturday's Eurovision 2022 final.

Click on the countries below to find out more about the semi-final 1 line-up.

• Albania
• Armenia
• Austria
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Denmark
• Greece
• Iceland
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Moldova
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Slovenia
• Switzerland
• Ukraine

For more on How to watch Eurovision 2022, see here.

When is the Eurovision semi-final 2?

The second semi-final will follow on BBC Three on Thursday, 12th May at 8pm.

It will see the second batch of countries performing for a place in the final.

The countries performing are: Australia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Finland, Georgia, Malta, San Marino, Serbia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Sweden.

How to watch Eurovision

In the UK, the BBC will provide coverage for Eurovision 2022.

Previously, both semi-finals aired on BBC Four, but as of 2022, they will move to their new home over at BBC Three.

The live final will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds on Saturday 14 May 2022.

Fiona Campbell, Controller of BBC Three said: “Eurovision and BBC Three have shared DNA, both proudly celebrating diversity, universality and inclusivity. I am delighted to welcome the UK broadcasts of the Semi-Finals back to their spiritual home on BBC Three.”

Rachel Ashdown, Commissioning Editor added: “Eurovision is one of the most popular entertainment programmes on the BBC and is much loved by our younger audiences, so we cannot wait to bring viewers on BBC Three the live show from Turin full of the songs and surprises that the Semi-Finals always throw up too.”

Where is Eurovision 2022 being held?

This year's song contest will take place at the PalaOlimpico Arena in Turin, Italy.

The location is selected based on the current winner. As Måneskin won the 65th Song Contest on behalf of Italy, they will host the 2022 competition.

Turin is located in the north-western part of Italy, close to the French (50 km) and Swiss border (100 km). The city's international airport is called "Caselle International Airport Sandro Pertini" (airport code: TRN), about 13 km from Turin's city centre. It is connected to Turin by rail (from Dora Station) and bus (from Porta Nuova and Porta Susa railway stations).

It has a population of 847,000 (Turin metropolitan area 2.2 million) and is one of the important business and cultural centres in northern Italy.

Which countries will compete in Eurovision 2022?

There are 40 countries in this year's Song Contest. Russia was due to take part, however, was recently removed after the invasion of Ukraine.

Below is a full list of all the countries taking part, including Armenia and Montenegro, who didn't take compete in the 2021 competition, and where fans can find coverage of the event in their country.

• Albania (RTSH)
• Armenia (AMPTV)
• Australia (SBS)*
• Austria (ORF)
• Azerbaijan (Ictimai TV)
• Belgium (RTBF)
• Bulgaria (BNT)
• Croatia (HRT)
• Cyprus (CyBC)
• Czech Republic (CT)
• Denmark (DR)
• Estonia (ERR)
• Finland (YLE)
• France (FT)
• Germany (ARD/NDR)
• Georgia (GPB)
• Greece (ERT)
• Iceland (RUV)
• Ireland (RTE)
• Israel (KAN)
• Italy (RAI)
• Latvia (LTV)
• Lithuania (LRT)
• Malta (PBS)
• Moldova (TRM)
• Montenegro (RTCG)
• Netherlands (AVROTROS)
• North Macedonia (MKRTV)
• Norway (NRK)
• Poland (TVP)
• Portugal (RTP)
• Romania (TVR)
• San Marino (RTV)
• Serbia (RTS)
• Slovenia (RTVSLO)
• Spain (TVE)
• Sweden (SVT)
• Switzerland (SRG SSR)
• United Kingdom (BBC)
• Ukraine (UA:PBC)

Who is the UK Eurovision entry?

On Thursday, 10th March, Scott Mills revealed TikTok star Sam Ryder as the UK's Eurovision entry.

Sam will perform his song, Space Man, which he co-wrote with Max Wolfgang and Grammy-winning songwriter Amy Wadge.

Eurovision 2022 tickets

Tickets for Eurovision 2022 went on sale from 9am UK time on Thursday 7th April.

Tickets are available to buy for the different productions across the Semi-Finals and Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest from TicketOne.

At the time of writing, tickets for the live and jury shows are currently sold out, with some family show tickets remaining.

Who are the UK Eurovision presenters?

The BBC's Eurovision content will be brought to viewers by a presenting team.

Scott Mills and Rylan Clark will be on commentary duty for the semi-finals, overseeing proceedings and bringing viewers back in the UK all the action live from the PalaOlimpico Arena in Turin, Italy.

Scott Mills said: “Eurovision is one of my highlights of the year! I’m so looking forward to getting back in the commentary box with Rylan and bringing BBC Three viewers all the action from Turin.”

Rylan Clark said: “I’m so excited to be back for Eurovision 2022 and even more excited to be heading to BBC Three! Myself and Scott love the show and after a few years away from the physical Eurovision bubble we both can’t wait to bring you ALL the semi-final action live from Turin. We promise we will make this year bigger and better than ever before and I can’t wait to get my dancing shoes on!”

Last year, Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden and host Graham Norton accompanied Scott and Rylan.

Who won Eurovision 2021?

The 65th Song Contest was won by Måneskin, who represented Italy with their song Zitti E Buoni.

The group came out on top of the Eurovision 2021 scoreboard with a total of 524 points, beating France, who came in second place with 499 points and Switzerland, who finished in third place with 432 points.

The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest will air on the BBC from Tuesday 10th May to Saturday 14th May – listen to all of this year's Eurovision songs on TIDAL, while the full album of tracks is available on CD and vinyl now.

You can also check out the full list of Eurovision winners and how many times the UK has won Eurovision here. If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.

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