Semi-Final Allocation draw to take place in Kyiv

The draw: How it works

The first part of the draw will determine on which semi-final each of the six pre-qualified countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and host country Ukraine) will broadcast and vote. At the request of German broadcaster ARD, and following approval from the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, Germany will broadcast and vote in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 11th May.

The second draw will then decide in which semi-final each of the other participating countries will perform. At the request of Swiss broadcaster SRF and approved by the Reference Group, Switzerland will participate in the Second Semi-Final which will have 19 participants and the First Semi-Final 18 participants.

As in previous years, the exact running order will be determined by the producers of the show. From each Semi-Final, ten countries will proceed to the Grand Final on 13th May, joining the six pre-qualified countries. In total, 26 countries will be represented in the Grand Final.

The allocation draw pots

The 37 Semi-Finalists have been allocated into six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the contest's official televoting partner Digame. Drawing from different pots helps to reduce the chance of so-called neighbourly voting and increases suspense in the Semi-Finals.

Pot 1

Pot 2

Pot 3

Albania

Denmark

Armenia

F.Y.R. Macedonia

Finland

Azerbaijan

Montenegro

Norway

Belarus

Slovenia

Iceland

Georgia

Croatia

Estonia

Russia

Serbia

Sweden

Israel

Switzerland

Pot 4

Pot 5

Pot 6

Hungary

Portugal

Belgium

Cyprus

Australia

The Netherlands

Greece

Czech Republic

Ireland

Romania

Malta

Latvia

Moldova

Austria

Lithuania

Bulgaria

San Marino

Poland

The Executive Producer of Eurovision 2017 Victoria Romanova said: "We are continuing with our preparations for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, including the main locations for the Song Contest, working on the creative content of the shows, and we will soon let you know what the stage will look like and who will be the hosts. The insignia ceremony is a significant moment for us where Vitaliy Klychko will receive the Eurovision key and Kyiv takes over from Stockholm as the Host City of the Eurovision Song Contest".

Watch the Semi-Final Allocation Draw live from Kyiv at 11:00 CET on the official Eurovision Song Contest channel on YouTube.