Today the semi-final allocation draw was held in Vienna. The participating countries were divided on to two semi-finals from where they will compete in order to reach the final. As usual they were also drawn into either first or second half regarding running order.
Some prefer to take part in the first semi-final to have longer time to prepare for the final while others prefer Thursday’s second semi-final due to shorter waiting time. Some prefer to be in semi-finals with as many of their neighbours as possible in order for them to be able to vote, while others again prefer to be more isolated in the semi-final so they have fewer neighbours to compete with for the votes. Many thinks that a late starting number increases the chanches of qualifying, however some say that it doesn’t matter.
Many interests are in play when it comes to the allocation draw for the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest, and no doubt that the ones who digg deep into voting patterns and starting positions will have something to do in the coming days.
The semi-finalists were drawn into the semi-finals from five pots based on voting patterns from the past 10 years. These were:
Pot 1: Albania, F.Y.R Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia,Switzerland, Serbia and Malta
Pot 2: Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Notway, Sweden, Iceland and Latvia.
Pot 3: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Israel, Russia, Armenia and Lithuania.
Pot 4: Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands and San Marino
Pot 5: Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Portugal, Poland and Czech Republic.
| First semi-final – First half | Second semi-final – First half |
| Greece | Norway |
| F.Y.R Macedonia | Ireland |
| Estonia | Czech Republic |
| The Netherlands | Lithuania |
| Moldova | San Marino |
| Finland | Malta |
| Belgium | Portugal |
| Armenia | Montenegro |
| First semi-final – Second half | Second semi-final – Second half |
| Serbia | Switzerland |
| Denmark | Azerbaijan |
| Belarus | Slovenia |
| Romania | Latvia |
| Russia | Poland |
| Albania | Iceland |
| Georgia | Israel |
| Hungary | Cyprus |
| Sweden |
The exact running order isn’t known yet.
Voting in first semi-final: Besides the semi-finalists, Spain, Austria and France will vote in this one.
Voting in second semi-final: Besides the semi-finalists, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom will vote in this one.
