A special draw was held today at Vienna’s iconic City Hall in order to distribute the 30 semi-finalist countries into one of the two 2026 Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals, scheduled to be held on 12 and 14 May in Vienna.
The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest Semi-final Allocation draw was held today in Vienna and was conducted by Alexandra Maritza Wachter and Cesár Sampson, under the supervision of the EBU.
The draws were supervised by Gert Kark ( Eurovision Song Contest Executive Producer/ EBU), Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz (ORF Program Director) and Thomas Niedermeyer ( EBU’s Voting Partner Once).
Semi-final allocation draw results
Fifteen countries will compete in the first semi-final on 12 May, whilst another fifteen countries will compete in the second semi-final on 14 May.
A total 30 countries were distributed into 5 pots and were allocated into one of the two semi-finals by a draw. During the the draw it was also determined in which half of the semi-final the allotted countries are to perform.
Another draw was held to determine which semi-final the Big 4 countries and Austria are to vote in. Germany and Italy will vote in the first semi-final on 12 May whilst France, United Kingdom and Austria will vote in the second semi-final on 14 May.
SEMI-FINAL #1 (12 MAY)
First Half
- Georgia (GPB)
- Portugal (RTP)
- Croatia (HRT)
- Sweden (SVT)
- Finland (YLE)
- Moldova (TRM)
- Greece (ERT)
Second Half
- Montenegro (RTCH)
- Estonia (ERR)
- San Marino (RTV)
- Poland (TVP)
- Belgium (RTBF)
- Lithuania (LRT)
- Serbia (RTS)
- Israel (KAN)
SEMI-FINAL #2 (14 MAY)
First Half
- Armenia (AMPTV)
- Romania (TVR)
- Switzerland (SRG SSR)
- Azerbaijan (Ictimai)
- Luxembourg (RTL)
- Bulgaria (BNT)
- Czechia (CT)
Second Half
- Albania (RTSH)
- Denmark (DR)
- Cyprus (CyBC)
- Norway (NRK)
- Malta (PBS)
- Australia (SBS)
- Ukraine (Suspilne)
- Latvia (LSM)
A total of 35 countries will participate at the forthcoming 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. 30 countries will compete in the semi-finals, whilst the Big 4 and Austria are automatically qualified to compete in the Grand Final.
Martin Green MBE (Eurovision Song Contest Director) says:
We’re delighted to open a new chapter for the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in 2026 as we celebrate 70 years. Together with ORF, Vienna is ready to welcome Europe and the world for the 70th Contest to celebrate music, creativity and connection. With broadcasters from across Europe and beyond taking part, and a global audience that continues to grow, the Eurovision Song Contest remains a truly unique live event. We can’t wait to see the stage come alive in May and to share an extraordinary celebration of 70 years of international music and creativity with hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide.
Michael Kron (Eurovision 2026 Executive Producer/ORF) says:
Today’s visit from the delegation from Basel was a particularly special moment for our team, as it traditionally symbolizes the official handover from the previous to the current Host City. At the same time, I am very pleased that we are well on schedule with the planning and that all departments are working together seamlessly – exactly as is necessary for a production of this scale.
The Eurovision Song Contest is scheduled to be held on 12, 14 and 16 May at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria.
