70. Eurovision Song Contest: Participating countries eagerly await Semi-Final draw at Vienna City Hall
On Monday, January 12, 2026, Vienna City Hall will become a Eurovision Song Contest hotspot. The Semi-Final Draw will take place in the City Hall’s Senate meeting room. Before that, the traditional handover between Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig and the President of the Government of the City of Basel, Conradin Cramer, which marks the official start of the new Song Contest year, will be carried out. ORF 1 and ORF ON will broadcast the entire event live from 6:25 PM with the program "Eurovision Song Contest 2026 – The Semi-Final Draw."
Live draw determines the starting order of participating countries
The Semi-Final draw will be conducted alternately from five pots: Pot 1 includes Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Switzerland. Pot 2 consists of Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. From Pot 3, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Poland, and Ukraine will be drawn. Belgium, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Moldova, Portugal, and Romania are represented in Pot 4, and Pot 5 includes the nations Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and San Marino. Austria, as the host country, is along with Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France, are fixer starter for the final show.
The first Semi-Final of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place on May 12, 2026, at the Wiener Stadthalle, followed by the second on May 14. The Grand Final will be held on May 16. ORF 1 will broadcast the entire event surrounding the Semi-Final Draw on January 12 at 6:25 PM. The evening will be hosted by Alexandra Maritza Wachter and Cesár Sampson. The program will also include a shortened version of the documentary "My Dream Comes True – JJ at ESC 2025." The entire broadcast will also be available live on ORF ON and on demand afterward.
ORF survey: Anticipation for the Eurovision Song Contest is rising
In an ORF survey conducted between November 20 and December 8, 2025 (INTEGRAL, online/telephone, n=1,000, representative of the Austrian residential population 16+), it was revealed how well-known the hosting of the ESC in Austria is: 94 percent of surveyed Austrians aged 16 and older know that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Austria.
Regarding image gain and value creation through the Eurovision Song Contest, a majority of respondents (79%) see hosting the ESC as a good opportunity to present Austria to the world. 73 percent also believe that Austria will become more well-known globally and that Austrian tourism will benefit. 67 percent think that the domestic economy will be stimulated, and 60 percent feel proud of Austria.
A positive role is also attributed to ORF as the hosting broadcaster. 67 percent of all respondents agree that ORF provides Austria with the opportunity to present itself as open to the world through hosting the ESC. For 59 percent, ORF contributes to the understanding of nations, and for 52 percent, ORF will gain international prestige.
Start of ticket sales on January 13 at 1:00 PM
Official ticket sales for the nine Song Contest shows at the Wiener Stadthalle will start on January 13, 2026, at 1:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased by all interested parties who have registered on the official platforms eurovision.com and oeticket.com by December 18, 2025. Those who have not registered by then will not be able to purchase tickets on oeticket.com during the first sales wave. There are also warnings about fake shops and fraud attempts related to ESC ticket purchases, as tickets can only be purchased through the official oeticket website.
Tickets are available for both Semi-Finals and the Grand Final for an „Evening Preview Show,“ an „Afternoon Preview Show,“ and a „Live Broadcast TV Show“ – a total of nine Eurovision Song Contest shows at the Wiener Stadthalle. Ticket proceeds are an integral part of the Song Contest budget and contribute to presenting a spectacular live show from the Wiener Stadthalle to all TV viewers. Although the final is a high-priced event, care has been taken to offer tickets in the lower price segment – starting at 15 euros for the afternoon shows. The most expensive ticket (on the final evening in the Golden Circle directly in front of the stage) costs 360 euros.
For inquiries:
Johannes Mayer
Deputy Head of Communications
johannes.mayer@orf.at
(January 09, 2026)