Tomorrow, one of the most important events in the Eurovision season takes place: the semi-final allocation draw. Whether you’re a newbie experiencing the Eurovision season for the first time or you simply want a refresher on what to expect, here is our guide with everything you need to know for the semi-final allocation draw.
What is the draw?
Let’s start with the important question: what is the draw? Well, it allocates which semi-final each country will perform in, except from the ‘Big 5’ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), as well as last year’s winning country, Sweden. The event will also decide which semi-final these six countries must broadcast (although all will show both), vote in and have their performances shown. Three of these will be in semi-final one, three in semi-final two.
How many countries are involved?
The number of countries involved in the semi-final draw differs every year. This year, with 37 countries participating (now with the confirmed non-participation of Romania), 31 will participate in the semi-finals. This means that there will be one semi-final with 15 performances while the other will have 16.
How does it work?
The 31 finalists are split into five different pots, each containing six or seven countries. This is based on historical voting patterns to reduce “bloc voting” (where neighbouring/similar countries all vote for each other). The countries will be drawn one at a time at random. This will determine which semi-final each country participates in, alongside which half of that semi their artist will sing. After the pot allocation announcement earlier today, these are the pots for the 2024 semi-final allocation draw.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 | Pot 5 |
| Albania | Australia | Armenia | Cyprus | Belgium |
| Austria | Denmark | Azerbaijan | Greece | Czechia |
| Croatia | Estonia | Georgia | Ireland | Luxembourg |
| Serbia | Finland | Israel | Malta | Netherlands |
| Slovenia | Iceland | Latvia | Portugal | Moldova |
| Switzerland | Norway | Lithuania | San Marino | Poland |
| Ukraine |
How to watch The Draw 2024
The Draw will be live on Eurovision’s YouTube channel, starting at 6pm GMT/7pm CET/8pm EET. If you’re unable to watch for whatever reason, follow along with our liveblog over on @TESTweets on Twitter.
Will you be watching tomorrow’s semi-final draw? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, Tumblr and Bluesky as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
Photo Credit: EBU
Euan T