The first semi-final of Eurovision 2026 had barely started before viewers across Europe collectively dissolved into tears.
Before a single keytar solo had been unleashed or anybody suspended upside down from a rotating cube, this year’s contest opened with an unexpectedly emotional short film celebrating Eurovision’s 70th anniversary.
The sequence, titled By Your Side for 70 Years, followed an Austrian man named Toni throughout his life as he watched Eurovision across the decades, charting changing fashions, friendships and relationships against the backdrop of the contest itself.
In classic Eurovision fashion, it was unabashedly dramatic.
As clips of iconic past winners flashed across the screen — including Luxembourg’s Poupée de cire, poupée de son, the UK’s Save Your Kisses For Me and Switzerland’s 2024 winner The Code — viewers watched Toni grow older while Eurovision remained the one constant in his life, even through the death of his husband.
By the time the older Toni appeared at a piano in the arena performing L’amour Est Bleu before being joined on stage by Vicky Leandros, social media had already become a sobbing mess.
‘Well, we’ve just started and I’ve already cried,’ one viewer wrote on X.
Another posted: ‘I’m already crying after the sweetest intro of the couple watching Eurovision over the years.’
A third joked: ‘Eurovision done killed off that nice man’s husband not 5 minutes into the show.’
Others admitted they were emotionally defeated before the competition had even properly begun.
‘Seriously?? I’m already ready to cry, GUYYSSS,’ one fan wrote, while another simply posted: ‘It has begun, I’m not ready.’
The emotional opening arrives during a particularly tense year for Eurovision, with ongoing controversy surrounding Israel’s participation continuing to dominate discussion ahead of the contest.
Last year, five countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia – announced they were boycotting the event due to Israel’s ongoing inclusion.
Over the past few years, the European Broadcasting Union has faced increasing pressure to disqualify Israel from the contest given the current genocide in Gaza.
Late last year, there was also a vote by EBU members on measures to prevent political interference and fraudulent votes, which followed scrutiny of Israel’s public vote in last year’s contest.
But many viewers felt the intro deliberately attempted to recapture Eurovision’s original spirit of unity.
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