The Semi-Final Allocation Draw for the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest has taken place from Palazzo Madama in Turin. Furthermore, the ceremony saw the Host City Insignia pass from previous host city Rotterdam (2020/21) to this year’s Italian host city, Turin.
The Semi-Final Allocation Draw determines whether countries participate in the First Semi-Final (Tuesday 10 May) or the Second Semi-Final (Thursday 12 May). In addition, each country was randomly allocated to determine whether they perform in the first or second half of the Semi-Final they drew.
The pots
The 36 countries will then be divided into 5 or 6 “pots”. In fact, countries are put in the same pot if they have voted for each other in the past. For example, the Nordic countries have all been in a single pot for many years now. In addition, some other bloc pots include countries from the Baltics, Soviets and Southeastern Europe. Eurovision Song Contest organisers have used this method because it appears to minimise bloc voting. You can learn more about the pots, as well as in depth analysis over the last 14 years, on our feature here.
Semi-Final Allocation Draw
The Big 5 voting allocation
Firstly, hosts Italy and the remaining 4 of the ‘Big 5’ countries do not compete in the semi-finals. So here they are allocated which semi-final they will vote on.
| Semi Final 1 | Semi Final 2 |
|---|---|
| 🇫🇷 France | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| 🇩🇪 Germany |
Semi-Final 1
| First Half | Second Half |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇱 Albania | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| 🇱🇻 Latvia | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 🇩🇰 Denmark |
| 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 🇦🇲 Armenia |
| 🇲🇩 Moldova | 🇦🇹 Austria |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 🇭🇷 Croatia |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
| 🇳🇱 The Netherlands | 🇬🇷 Greece |
Semi-Final 2
| First Half | Second Half |
|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇲🇪 Montenegro |
| 🇬🇪 Georgia | 🇷🇴 Romania |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 🇨🇿 Czech Republic |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan | 🇲🇰 North Macedonia |
| 🇸🇲 San Marino | 🇸🇪 Sweden |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | 🇪🇪 Estonia |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 🇮🇪 Ireland |
What do you think of the allocation draw? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news from the 2022 national final season!
