The semi finalists of Eurovision 2023 have now been allocated!
IMAGE CREDITS: BBC/EBU/JAMES STACK
The semi final allocation draw just took place at 20:00 CET at St George’s Hall in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The ceremony was hosted by none other than AJ Odudu and Rylan, two well known British television hosts. Now we know which semi final countries will be taking part in! Before the draw, the semi finalists have each been separated out into separate pots, which have been determined from prior voting patterns. Below you can check out which semi final the semi finalists will be taking part in as well as which half they will be performing in also!
On top of that, the host city insignia ceremony will also take place, which is where the previous hosts, Turin, will ceremoniously hand over the host city insignia to Liverpool.
Semi Final 1
Semi Final 2
The Big 5 and Ukraine has also drawn which semi final they will be voting in!
Of course, the so called Big 5: Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as last year’s winner and automatic qualifiers, Ukraine, will also be involved in the semi finals. Today also revealed which semi final these 6 countries will be voting in. Traditionally it would be the Big 5 plus the host country that will draw which semi final they will be voting in. However, since one of the Big 5, namely United Kingdom, is the host country, and that Ukraine will automatically qualify for the final this year, this will somewhat break that tradition this year.
Semi Final 1:
Germany. France, Italy
Semi Final 2:
Spain, Ukraine, United Kingdom
How were the semi finalists drawn?
As with previous years, the semi finals were allocated into separate pots. These pots were decided as a result of prior voting patterns to reduce the chances of many countries that traditionally vote for each other in the contest.
This year, the 31 semi-finalists were separated out into 5 separate pots. This is the first time since 2020 where 5 pots were used to draw out the countries. Most of the time, 6 pots are traditionally used. The may be due to a number of reasons: The number of countries participating that year, or the specific number of countries taking part in a given year. Mathematically the draw needs to be done in a way in order to evenly disperse all the countries in an orderly fashion. Having 5 pots this year allows that to happen.
The 5 pots are as followed:
Pot 1:
- Albania
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Croatia
- Serbia
- Slovenia
Pot 2:
- Denmark
- Australia
- Finland
- Iceland
- Norway
- Sweden
- Estonia
Pot 3:
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Israel
- Latvia
- Lithuania
Pot 4:
- Cyprus
- Greece
- Ireland
- Malta
- Portugal
- San Marino
Pot 5:
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- The Netherlands
- Moldova
- Poland
- Romania
With all the semi finals all sorted, all we have to wait for now is which order the songs will be performing in. This usually takes place a short time after all the songs are released and after the heads of delegations meeting. Stay tuned so you can keep up with up to date news on Eurovision!
What do you think about the allocation draws? Tell us in the comments below!
