The EBU, the European Broadcasting Union, have today announced the pots for the allocation draw, for the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, in Vienna.

The Semi Final Allocation Draw will feature five pots – all five will feature six countries. Countries are organised into certain pots based on their historical voting patterns, dispersing nations that traditionally support each other. Once each country is drawn into their semi final, another draw will determine which half of the running order they will appear in. The pots 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, Luxembourg, Moldova, Portugal & Romania
• Pot 5 – Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta & San Marino

Another draw will take place featuring Austria, France, Germany, Italy & the United Kingdom. This draw will determine which Semi Final they will give a preview performance, as well as vote in.

The draw will take place from the Vienna Rathaus, on Monday 12th January, at 18:00 GMT/19:00 CET. You will be able to watch the draw live on the official Eurovision YouTube channel or via the livestream below:

Let us know what you think about Austria and the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest – either in the comments below or on our FACEBOOK, BLUESKY, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM and TIKTOK pages.

The Eurovision Community, which Eurovision Ireland are a part of, celebrates diversity through music. Please keep your comments respectful. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, body-shaming or any other derogatory or hostile language.

Author: Richard Taylor

Source: Eurovoix & YouTube/EBU