An average of 84,000 viewers watched live on ORF 1 as the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Semi-Final Allocation Draw took place yesterday.
The Semi-Final Allocation Draw for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was watched by an average audience of 84,000 viewers on ORF 1 yesterday. The event was broadcast live on ORF 1 and on Austrian broadcasters online streaming platform ORF ON. Overall, the show was the seventeenth most watched broadcast on ORF 1 on Monday, with a share of 4% of viewers in its time slot.
The Semi-Final Allocation Draw and Host City Insignia took placeat Vienna City Hall. The event was hosted by Alexandra Maritza Wachter and Cesár Sampson. Alexandra is a news presenter and Cesár is best known for having finished third for Austria at Eurovision 2018.
Just before the Allocation Draw itself, the official handover ceremony took place. Conradin Cramer, president of the cantonal government of Basel-Stadt presented a Friendship Gift and handed over the responsibility of hosting Eurovision to Michael Ludwig, Mayor and Governor of Vienna. The gift was a carnival lantern that was specifically created for Vienna, featuring a jester and JJ last years Eurovision winner.
The Allocation Draw was comprised of two parts. The first part of the draw determined which semi-final each of the five pre-qualified countries (France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and this year’s host country Austria) will broadcast, vote and perform in.
The second part of the draw determined in which semi-final and in which half of the respective semi-final the other 30 participating countries will perform. As has been the case since 2013, the exact running order will be determined by the show’s producers later once all the songs are selected.
You can see the outcome of the Semi-Final Allocation Draw here:
Source: ORF
Austria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. Bob Martin represented the country on their debut but finished in last place, scoring just 3 points. Austria has won the contest three times, the first being in 1966 when Udo Jürgens performed “Merci, Chérie”. It was 48 years later when Austria won again in 2014, when Conchita Wurst performed “Rise Like a Phoenix”, scoring a total of 290 points. Austria’s third win came in 2025, when JJ sang “Wasted Love” and scored 436 points.