What
Live from Vienna, we will have the opportunity to watch the Eurovision 2026 semi-final allocation draw.
Alexandra Wachter and Cesár Sampson will lead the ceremony.
When?
Today (January 12th, 2026) at 19:00 CET
How To Watch?
You can the full ceremony here:
Format
The EBU has built 5 pots of the 30 countries that participate in the semi-finals.
The pots were based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest’s official televoting partner Digame
Each pot will include 6 countries. From each pot, half of the countries will be allocated in the first semi-final, and the remaining countries will be allocated in the second semi-final.
The pots for Eurovision 2026 are:
Pot 1
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- Serbia
- Switzerland
Pot 2
- Australia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Norway
- Sweden
Pot 3
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Israel
- Poland
- Ukraine
Pot 4
- Belgium
- Czechia
- Luxemburg
- Portugal
- Moldova
- Romania
Pot 5
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Malta
- San Marino
The 6th pot includes the automatic qualifiers. The allocation draw will determine which semi-final they will vote, as well as in which semi-final they will perform as guest (no vote will take place)
- Austria
- United Kingdom
- France
- Italy
- Germany
The ceremony will also include the exchange of the Host City Insignia.
Basel will give Vienna the symbol of the host city.
The Mayor of 2025 Host City (Basel) will hand over the official keys to the Eurovision Song Contest, known as the “Insignia“, to the Mayor of Vienna.
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026.
