Just over 750,000 viewers watched the first Semi-Final of Eurovision 2026, as Belgium recorded its lowest audience for a Semi-Final it competed in in over a decade.
Viewer interest in the Eurovision Song Contest has dropped year on year, with 750,707 viewers watching Belgium compete for a place in the final, down by over 400,000 viewers compared to the equivalent show in 2025. Viewer interest in Flanders dropped by 414,000 viewers, a sharp fall even though interest in the north of Belgium drops normally when Wallonia selects the Belgian representative. In Wallonia, viewer interest fell by just under 15,000 viewers compared to 2025.
The viewing figures for Semi-Final One of Eurovision 2026 in Belgium were:
RTBF – La Une – 251,108 viewers
VRT – Een – 499,599 viewers
Essyla is representing Belgium with “Dancing on the Ice”. She qualified from Semi-Final One of Eurovision 2026 and has been drawn to perform in the first half of the Final on Saturday night.
Source: CIM
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest+
Belgium was one of the seven nations who participated in the first edition of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. To date, the country has won the contest only once in 1986. Sandra Kim won the contest with the song “J’aime la vie”. Her victory was not without controversy when it emerged that Sandra was just 13 years old, two years younger than the age restriction at the time. In the late 00s, Belgium struggled in the contest, failing to reach the final annually from 2005 until 2010, when Tom Dice finished 6th in the final with 143 points. Belgium has finished last at the contest eight times, including two sets of nul points.