Participants select their entries via several different methods:

• Internal Selection: The broadcaster selected the act and the song.
• National Final: The broadcaster held a one-off competition to determine their act and song.
• Festival: The broadcaster held a slightly longer competition, usually with one or two semi-finals and a grand final. Sometimes the competition took place over the course of a week (Italy’s Sanremo or Albania’s Festivali i Këngës) or over a couple of weekends (Portugal’s Festival da Cancão or Iceland’s Söngvakeppnin).
• Selection Series: The broadcaster held a long-form competition to determine their artist and song, usually with multiple rounds of winnowing down options.
• Hybrid: A broadcaster may use one method to determine their artist and another method to select their song.

The First Semi-Final is expected to take place Tuesday, May 18. Up to 20 countries will compete, with 10 advancing to the Grand Final. Information about which countries are assigned to this semi-final will be revealed in mid-to-late January 2021.

The Second Semi-Final is expected to take place Thursday, May 20. Up to 20 countries will compete, with 10 advancing to the Grand Final. Information about which countries are assigned to this semi-final will be revealed in mid-to-late January 2021.

Since the year 2000, France, Germany, Spain, and United Kingdom have been granted an automatic pass to the Grand Final thanks to their respective broadcasters providing significant financial support. When Italy returned to the Contest in 2011, they were also granted this pass. This group is known as the Big Five.

The host country is also granted an automatic pass into the Grand Final and will draw its running order assignment during the semi-final allocation process.