The draw for the Semi-Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 has just taken place, offering the first clear picture of this year’s competition structure. The draw was held on the evening of Monday, 12 January, at Vienna City Hall (Wiener Rathaus). The 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted in Vienna, from 12 to 16 May 2026, with Austria serving as the host country.

The evening began with the allocation of the countries that automatically qualify for the Grand Final. Following Spain’s withdrawal from the Big 5, France and the United Kingdom were drawn to vote in the Second Semi-Final, while Germany and Italy will vote in the First Semi-Final. Host country Austria will also take part in the voting process.

This was followed by the draw of the 30 countries competing in the two Semi-Finals, determining both the half in which each entry will perform and the date of its appearance.

Greece was drawn in the first half of the First Semi-Final, which will take place on Tuesday, 12 May, while Cyprus was placed in the second half of the Second Semi-Final, scheduled for Thursday, 14 May.

First Semi-Final

First Half: Georgia, Portugal, Croatia, Sweden, Finland, Moldova, Greece

Second Half: Montenegro, Estonia, San Marino, Poland, Belgium, Lithuania, Serbia, Israel

Second Semi-Final

First Half: Armenia, Romania, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Czechia

Second Half: Albania, Denmark, Cyprus, Norway, Malta, Australia, Ukraine, Latvia

With the completion of the draw, Eurovision 2026 now moves into the next phase, as national delegations officially begin preparations ahead of May.

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