Eurovision pot allocation for semi-final allocation draw published

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Eurovision has revealed the pot allocation for the semi-final allocation draw tomorrow.

Eurovision 2023 pots

The Allocation Draw that determines which of the two Semi-Finals participating countries will compete in at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, will take place on Tuesday 31 January live from the Host City of Liverpool at 20:00 CET.

The Draw will be streamed via the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel. Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the Draw on iPlayer and BBC TWO. Suspline will broadcast the draw like in Ukraine.

How it works

The countries that will take part in the Semi-Finals are divided into pots based on their historic voting patterns and then chosen at random to compete in either the First or Second Semi-Final.

This way, countries that traditionally award each other points are less likely to end up in the same Semi-Final, adding excitement to the live shows. The pots are approved by the Contest’s Executive Supervisor on behalf of the EBU and the Chairman of the Reference Group, the Contest’s governing body.

In addition, as the so-called ‘Big Five’ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and the Host Country automatically qualify for the Grand Final, the Allocation Draw also determines which Semi-Final those countries can vote in.

This year, both Ukraine and the United Kingdom automatically qualify for the Grand Final, as the United Kingdom is hosting the Contest on behalf of Ukraine who won in 2022.