The Semi Final Allocation Draw just came to an end in Malmö, and with this touch of pomp and circumstance, the 37 competing broadcasters can now finalize their plans for their Eurovision 2024 coverage.
The Draw started off with the addition of Liverpool’s insignia to the massive keychain — a tradition that started in Helsinki in 2007! The 2023 insignia combines Liverpool’s seafaring and musical heritage with Ukrainian elements.
In 2024, a total of 37 countries will compete. When we remove the ‘Big 5‘ (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) and the host Sweden — all of whom have a guaranteed spot in the Grand Final, there was some mystery remaining for the other 31 countries.
The six pre-qualified countries still had to pay attention though, as they found out which Semi Final they must broadcast and vote in (although they all show both Semis anyway!)
| Semi Final 1 | Semi Final 2 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 🇫🇷 France |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Next came what most people were waiting for today, to find out which countries will compete in which Semi Final:
Semi Final 1 — Tuesday, 7th May 2024 @ 21:00 CET
| First Half | Second Half |
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 🇮🇸 Iceland |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | 🇲🇩 Moldova |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 🇵🇹 Portugal |
| 🇸🇮 Slovenia |
Semi Final 2 — Thursday, 9th May 2024 @ 21:00 CET
| First Half | Second Half |
| 🇦🇱 Albania | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| 🇦🇲 Armenia | 🇪🇪 Estonia |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | 🇬🇪 Georgia |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | 🇮🇱 Israel |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | 🇱🇻 Latvia |
| 🇬🇷 Greece | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | 🇳🇴 Norway |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🇸🇲 San Marino |
After each country’s fate was sealed, another draw took place immediately to sort them into the first or last half of their Semi. The exact running order will be decided and published about a month before the live shows.
Do you think we’ll have a “Semi of Death” this year? Which Semi are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments and our social media profiles! @buildingbridgespod
Photo: SVT/YouTube Capture
Building Bridges Eurovision Podcast - buildingbridgespod.com 
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