Singers from 42 countries travelling to Tel Aviv for Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 18 in Tel Aviv.

Israel's Netta performs after winning the Grand Final of Eurovision Song Contest 2018 at the Altice Arena hall in Lisbon, Portugal, May 12, 2018. (photo credit: REUTERS/PEDRO NUNES)
Israel's Netta performs after winning the Grand Final of Eurovision Song Contest 2018 at the Altice Arena hall in Lisbon, Portugal, May 12, 2018.
(photo credit: REUTERS/PEDRO NUNES)
Singers from 42 countries will be travelling to Israel for the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Tel Aviv on May 18, the organizers announced Wednesday. 36 countries will perform in the Semi-Finals on May 14 and 16 May, hoping to qualify for the Grand Final.
Host country Israel and the so-called ‘Big Five’ countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom — are traditionally prequalified to take part in the Grand Final on 18 May. The three shows will be co-produced by the EBU and Israeli public broadcaster KAN.
“Last year Netta dared to dream and won the contest in Lisbon, bringing it to Israel for 2019. We are thrilled that 42 countries will be represented in Tel Aviv,” said Jon Ola Sand, the Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Eldad Koblenz, CEO of KAN, added: “We already know that dreams come true when we saw Netta Barzilai win the Eurovision Song Contest in May and bring the trophy back to Israel for a third time. Netta allowed us to dare to dream and now, as these dreams are being realised, we can’t wait to host the 42 delegations who will aspire to do the same. “