Today: Running order draw - watch live at 11:20 CET!

19 March 2012 at 16:30 CET

This year there was a big show to kick-off the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest season in the Buta Palace in Baku. The 36 countries represented in the Semi-Finals were drawn from six pots, based on voting patterns from the past years. Remember that, viewers can only vote for the other countries taking part in that respective Semi-Final.

It was also decided if a country participates in the first or second half of each Semi-Final, so that delegations know well in advance on which day they are expected in Baku for their first stage rehearsal.

Today, you can watch live the draw for the order of appearance, which takes place at 11:20 CET, from this allocation draw results:

First Semi-Final, Tuesday 22nd of May:

First half

Montenegro
Iceland
Romania
Albania
Belgium
Latvia
Switzerland
Finland
Greece

Second half

Moldova
Cyprus
Austria
Denmark
Russia
San Marino
Israel
Ireland
Hungary

Second Semi-Final, Thursday 24th of May:

First half

Serbia
The Netherlands
Portugal
FYR Macedonia
Belarus
Malta
Ukraine
Bulgaria

Second half

Sweden
Georgia
Slovenia
Estonia
Turkey
Slovakia
Croatia
Norway
Lithuania
Bosnia & Herzegovina

Six countries have already qualified for the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, being United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Host Country Azerbaijan. As a total of 26 countries will take part in the Final on the 26th of May, then 10 from each Semi-Final will qualify for it.

The countries already qualified for the Final will also be drawn for their order of appearance in the Final. They are obliged to broadcast and vote in one of the Semi-Finals (between brackets):