The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 has completed its two semi-finals at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna. On Tuesday, May 12 and Thursday, May 14, the two live shows took place in which the 30 semi-finalist countries competed to reach the grand final on Saturday, May 16.
Out of the 35 countries participating in the 70th edition, only those forming the Big 4 (Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom) together with Austria, as the host country of the event, are directly qualified. They were joined by the ten finalists selected in the first semi-final and the other ten finalists from the second semi-final.
After both qualifying rounds of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, the draw took place to determine in which half of the show each country would perform during the grand final. Let us remember that Austria will perform in the 25th position following a previous draw that is always carried out with the host country during the Heads of Delegation meeting in March.
In which half of the Eurovision 2026 final will each finalist perform?
As in previous editions, six positions have been allocated for the first half, another six for the second half, and 12 for “producer’s choice”.
It is worth remembering that the full running order of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 grand final will be determined by the contest producers once all finalists are known, and will be announced in the early hours of Thursday 14 to Friday 15 at an unspecified time.
Review the results of the half draw below:
| Country | Artist | Song | Stage allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greece | Akylas | «Ferto» | 1st half |
| Belgium | ESSYLA | «Dancing On The Ice» | 1st half |
| Serbia | LAVINA | «Kraj Mene» | 1st half |
| Australia | Delta Goodrem | «Eclipse» | 1st half |
| Dinamarca | Søren Torpegaard Lund | «Før Vi Går Hjem» | 1st half |
| Chequia | Daniel Žižka | «CROSSROADS» | 1st half |
| Germany | Sarah Engels | «Fire» | Producer’s choice |
| Italy | Sal Da Vinci | «Per Sempre Sì» | Producer’s choice |
| Moldova | Satoshi | «Viva, Moldova!» | Producer’s choice |
| Finland | Linda Lampenius x Pete Parkkonen | «Liekinheitin» | Producer’s choice |
| Croatia | LELEK | «Andromeda» | Producer’s choice |
| Israel | Noam Bettan | «Michelle» | Producer’s choice |
| Rumanía | Alexandra Căpitănescu | «Choke Me» | Producer’s choice |
| Francia | Monroe | «Regarde!» | Producer’s choice |
| Bulgaria | DARA | «Bangaranga» | Producer’s choice |
| Ucrania | LELÉKA | «Ridnym» | Producer’s choice |
| Malta | AIDAN | «Bella» | Producer’s choice |
| Albania | Alis Kallaçi | Nân» | Producer’s choice |
| Sweden | FELICIA | «My System» | 2nd half |
| Lithuania | Lion Ceccah | «I Only Want More» | 2nd half |
| Poland | ALICJA | «Pray» | 2nd half |
| Reino Unido | LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER | «Eins, Zwei, Drei» | 2nd half |
| Noruega | JONAS LOVV | «YA YA YA» | 2nd half |
| Chipre | Antigoni | «JALLA» | 2nd half |
| Austria | COSMÓ | «TANZSCHEIN» | 25th position |
What does the category ‘Producer’s Choice’ mean?
In 2024, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to introduce a new category called ‘Producer’s Choice’ in the draw to determine the running order of the Eurovision Song Contest grand final.
Thus, 24 of the 25 finalist countries will have the possibility of drawing this option, along with the already traditional options of first half or second half used in the draw.
The country that receives the ‘Producer’s Choice’ category may be placed in the running order at the producers’ discretion, either in the first or the second half.
Finally, the producers will determine the complete running order, always ensuring that all songs receive the same level of prominence. In addition, the technical and artistic benefit of the show will always be taken into account.