Eurovision love story with tragic end leaves fans ‘sobbing’ minutes into first semi-final

The emotional Eurovision intro earned a strong reaction from fans (Picture: BBC)

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.<...