section_path: Contest overview/Semi-final 1
section_name: Semi-final 1
paragraph_text: Semi-final 1
  
  The first semi-final took place on 13 May 2025 at 21:00 CEST. Fifteen countries competed in the first semi-final. Those countries plus Italy, Spain and Switzerland, as well as non-participating countries under an aggregated " Rest of the World " vote, voted in this semi-final. The running order (R/O) was determined by the contest producers and was announced publicly on 27 March. In addition to the competing entries, Spain, Italy and Switzerland performed their entries during the show, appearing on stage after the entries from Estonia, Belgium and Croatia, respectively. Ukraine was awarded the most points in the semi-final, and qualified for the final alongside, in order of points total, Albania, the Netherlands, Sweden, Estonia, Iceland, Poland, Norway, Portugal, and San Marino. The countries that failed to reach the final were Cyprus, Croatia, Slovenia, Belgium, and Azerbaijan.
  
  This semi-final was opened by a troupe of dancers, yodelers and alphorn players performing Swiss-style renditions of four previous winning songs: " Tattoo " (2023), " Arcade " (2019), " Waterloo " (1974), and " The Code " (2024). The interval acts included "Made in Switzerland", a musical number performed by presenters Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer which highlights and satirises Swiss stereotypes and inventions, with an appearance by Petra Mede, who had previously hosted the contest in 2013, 2016 and 2024; and four former participants from 2024 – Greece 's Marina Satti, Ukraine 's Jerry Heil, Portugal 's Iolanda, and Lithuania 's Silvester Belt – performing the 1988 Swiss winning entry " Ne partez pas sans moi ", preceded by a pre-recorded message from the song's original performer, Celine Dion. Jørgen Olsen, who won for Denmark in 2000 alongside his brother Niels Olsen, performed that year's winning song " Fly on the Wings of Love " after the qualifiers were announced, with lyrical changes referencing the contest's permanent slogan "United by Music". "Made in Switzerland", which was written by Christian Knecht and Lukas Hobi, was released as a single on 6 June 2025.