The Semi-Final Allocation Draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place this evening in Vienna.
The Semi-Final Allocation Draw and Host City Insignia took place this evening at Vienna City Hall. The event was hosted by Alexandra Maritza Wachter and Cesár Sampson. Alexandra is a news presenter and Cesár is best known for having finished third for Austria at Eurovision 2018.
Just before the Allocation Draw itself, the official handover ceremony took place. Conradin Cramer, president of the cantonal government of Basel-Stadt presented a Friendship Gift and handed over the responsibility of hosting Eurovision to Michael Ludwig, Mayor and Governor of Vienna. The gift is a carnival lantern that was specifically created for Vienna, featuring a jester and JJ last years Eurovision winner.
Image source: Basel-Stadt
The Allocation Draw was comprised of two parts. The first part of the draw determined which semi-final each of the five pre-qualified countries (France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and this year’s host country Austria) will broadcast, vote and perform in.
The second part of the draw determined in which semi-final and in which half of the respective semi-final the other 30 participating countries will perform. As has been the case since 2013, the exact running order will be determined by the show’s producers later once all the songs are selected.
You can see the pots for the allocation draw here.
The top 10 from each semi-final will advance to the final on May 16. The results of today’s allocation draw are as follows:
Semi-Final 1 – May 12
First half:
- 🇬🇪 Georgia
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- 🇭🇷 Croatia
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- 🇫🇮 Finland
- 🇲🇩 Moldova
- 🇬🇷 Greece
Second half:
- 🇲🇪 Montenegro
- 🇪🇪 Estonia
- 🇸🇲 San Marino
- 🇵🇱 Poland
- 🇧🇪 Belgium
- 🇱🇹 Lithuania
- 🇷🇸 Serbia
- 🇮🇱 Israel
Germany and Italy will vote in this semi-final. Note that the order of performances will be determined at a later date. The order of the countries above is the order in which they were announced.
Semi-Final 2 – May 14
First half:
- 🇦🇲 Armenia
- 🇷🇴 Romania
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
- 🇨🇿 Czechia
Second half:
- 🇦🇱 Albania
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- 🇨🇾 Cyprus
- 🇳🇴 Norway
- 🇲🇹 Malta
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
- 🇱🇻 Latvia
France, United Kingdom and Austria will vote in this semi-final. Note that the order of performances will be determined at a later date. The order of the countries above is the order in which they were announced.
Eurovision 2026
As announced by the EBU in August, the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Vienna following JJ’s victory for Austria with “Wasted Love” in Basel. 35 countries are set to take part. Both semi-finals are scheduled for May 12 and 14, while the Grand Final will take place on May 16. The contest will be hosted in the Wiener Stadthalle, the same venue used in 2015, which can accommodate up to 16,000 spectators.
The 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Vienna on May 12, 14, and 16, 2026.
Image source: ORF/EBU
