All finalists revealed! End of an era: Serbia and Ex-Yu out of the Eurovision 2025 Grand Final

An evening full of colors, glitter, and… bitter aftertastes. The second semi-final of Eurovision 2025 has come to an end, but tonight, the region has little reason to celebrate. For the first time in eight years, Serbia failed to qualify for the Grand Final. Princ, with his song “Mila”, fell just short of the finish line, sharing the same fate as Montenegro.

This marks the closing of another chapter – for the first time since 2013, not a single country from the former Yugoslavia will be represented in the Eurovision final. Quite symbolically, in the very year Switzerland celebrates its rich Eurovision legacy, the region remains – out of the game.

Who’s going to the final?

Here’s who earned a golden ticket for Saturday’s Grand Final (in order of announcement):

 Lithuania| Katarsis – Tavo Akys
 Israel| Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise
 Armenia| PARG – SURVIVOR
 Denmark| Sissal – Hallucination
 Austria| JJ – Wasted Love
 Luxembourg| Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son
 Finland| Erika Vikman – ICH KOMME
 Latvia | Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi
 Malta | Miriana Conte – SERVING
 Greece| Klavdia – Asteromáta

Unfortunately, alongside Serbia, the competition ended tonight for Montenegro, Georgia, Ireland, Australia, and the Czech Republic.

As in the first semi-final, the voting was entirely in the hands of the public, including the Big Five countries (UK, Germany, France) and the “Rest of the World”.

Serbia couldn’t „squeeze through“ for a third year in a row

In the past two years, Serbia managed to snatch a Grand Final spot by the slimmest of margins – both times finishing 10th in its semi-final. Just when fans thought we had found a formula for surviving the brutal semi-final battles, 2025 gave us a harsh reality check.

This year, the competition was exceptionally strong, and the public vote didn’t swing in our favor. Princ and his song “Mila” had solid support from fans in the region, but it clearly wasn’t enough to outshine the powerhouse performances from Northern and Western Europe.

It’s also worth mentioning that Serbia was part of the second semi-final, often dubbed the “group of death” by Eurovision fans due to its concentration of favorites. The combination of lacking regional diaspora votes and weaker global televote impact proved too big of a hurdle.

Sadly, the fact that Serbia managed to “squeeze through” in previous years may have created a false sense of security – that the final could be reached without a strong surprise factor or an original stage concept. This time, Eurovision sent a clear message: that approach no longer works.

Serbia is out of the final, but also out of illusions – if we want to get back in the fight for top spots, it’s time to rethink our strategy. And maybe, just maybe, give the audience that unmistakable “Serbian flair” that can’t go unnoticed.

The performance of the representatives of Serbia in the semifinals of Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

A night of nostalgia and missed opportunities from 2020

While the votes were being tallied and the tension was building, the second Eurovision 2025 semi-final took us on a little emotional time travel. The evening’s interval act was dedicated to the songs from the canceled Eurovision 2020 – a contest that never got its big stage due to the global pandemic.

There was something bittersweet about hearing “Répondez-moi” by Gjon’s Tears, the fiery “On Fire” by The Roop, the charming “Cleopatra” by Efendi, and the powerful “All of My Love” by Destiny. Songs that once symbolized “what could have been” finally had their moment in the spotlight, even if it came five years late.

For die-hard Eurovision fans, this mini throwback was an emotional reminder of everything we missed in 2020. Not just the music, but the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the sense of unity that Eurovision brings.

Even though the artists finally got to shine live in front of millions, the feeling of a “missed opportunity” still lingered — because without the true competitive tension, it remained just an echo of what could have been one of the strongest editions of its era.

But therein lies the beauty of Eurovision — songs here never really die. There’s always a new time, a new stage, a new audience. And that’s why this nostalgic segment was a perfect reminder that no one is ever forgotten at Eurovision.

Revival part of the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.

The final lineup is complete

The ten new finalists from tonight’s semi-final will join the qualifiers from the first show, along with the traditional Big Five countries and host Switzerland.

The Grand Final battle for the trophy will take place on Saturday, May 17. This time, Serbia won’t have a contestant in the running, but will certainly have its favorites among the remaining acts. And maybe it’s time to ask ourselves — what are we still missing to shine once again?