According to a report on an Italian website, the semi-final draw for Eurovision 2026 may take place on January 12th! During the draw, it will be determined who will perform in the first semi-final and who will perform in the second.
The semi-final allocation draw and key handover ceremony is the first official Eurovision event of the year, organized by the national broadcaster of the host country, which this year is the Austrian ORF. According to an exclusive report on the Italian Eurovision website “Eurofestival news”, this year’s draw is expected to be held on January 12th, a relatively early date.
During this event, the participating countries will be assigned to two semi-finals. The first semi-final will take place on May 12th, and the second on May 14th. Additionally, it will be decided for each artist whether they will appear in the first or second half of the evening. Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 is not yet confirmed, and this matter is expected to be discussed on December 4th-5th at the general meeting of the EBU.
How Does the Allocation Draw Work?
Countries competing in the semi-finals are split into two groups, with each country eligible to vote only in its assigned semi-final. Even before the draw, countries are separated into five or six “pots”, according to historical voting patterns. For example, nations from the former Yugoslavia (such as Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, etc.) are placed in the same pot. Countries in each pot are then evenly distributed between the two semi-finals, thus reducing the chance of bloc voting affecting which countries qualify for the grand final.
Regarding Israel, since its neighboring countries do not participate, it will be interesting to see which pot it is assigned to. In Eurovision 2020, Israel was allocated to a pot with the Baltic states Lithuania and Latvia (without Estonia), Poland, Ireland, Czech Republic, and Belgium. In contrast, at Eurovision 2018, Israel was in a pot with Australia, Austria, Malta, Czech Republic, and San Marino. Since 2022, Israel has been included with the Caucasus countries and post-Soviet states such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine.
After each country is assigned to one of the semi-finals, its performance order is also determined, specifying whether it will appear in the first or second half of the evening. The draw will also decide which semi-final the automatically qualified countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, France, and Austria, which won in 2025) will vote in. According to the rules of the EBU, even the grand final countries must broadcast the semi-final to which they are assigned to vote. For the first time last year in Malmo, some of these countries also performed during the semi-finals.
Additionally, the allocation draw features a ceremonial handover of a symbolic key bundle from the previous host city to the new one, a tradition since Eurovision 2007. Each previous host city adds a symbol representing itself to the bundle.
At this time, no details have been released about the draw’s hosts, the specific format, or any special features. It should also be noted that the official list of participating countries is not finalized, so the exact number of competing countries in each semi-final remains unknown.
December 10th: The Date for Revealing the Final List of Countries?
Last year, December 10th was the date the EBU chose to officially publish competition rule changes, after this topic was raised at the December 5th, 2024, general assembly of the EBU. At that time, new regulations were announced with the stated goal of “celebrating community and preserving well-being”. Among other things, the EBU introduced an updated code of conduct whereby all parties involved in the contest must act to prevent harm to artists and foster a “safe space”. In addition, it was announced that photography areas would be limited and that performing artists would receive more opportunities to rehearse off-stage.
According to the latest announcement from the Austrian national broadcaster, it appears that this year the EBU will once again use this date to publish the outcomes of the December 4th–5th assembly, including the finalized list of countries participating in Eurovision 2026, following a final decision regarding Israel’s involvement.
Eurovision 2026: the 70th edition of the contest will take place in Vienna, Austria, on May 12th, 14th, and 16th, 2026. The Wiener Stadthalle arena, which will host the event, is expected to accommodate around 16,000 spectators per show. The contest returns to Austria following the nation’s third historic win with the song “Wasted Love”, performed by JJ. It will be Austria’s third time hosting Eurovision, after previous editions held in the country in 1967 and 2015.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
