The journey to the 69th Eurovision Song Contest officially began as the Semi-Final Draw took place at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, Switzerland. This year’s contest will see 37 broadcasters competing, with 31 of them allocated to one of the two Semi-Finals.
Semi-Final Allocations
The draw determined the line-up for the two Semi-Finals, with 15 countries performing in the First Semi-Final on 13 May and 16 in the Second Semi-Final on 15 May. The allocations were based on historical voting patterns, calculated by the Contest’s official voting partner, Once.
Here’s how the Eurovision 2025 Semi-Finals line up:
First Semi-Final (13 May)
First Half:
• Sweden (SVT)
• Ukraine (Suspilne)
• Slovenia (RTVSLO)
• Iceland (RUV)
• Estonia (ERR)
• Poland (TVP)
• Portugal (RTP)
Second Half:
• Netherlands (AVROTROS)
• Azerbaijan (Ictimai)
• Albania (RTSH)
• San Marino (RTV)
• Belgium (VRT)
• Cyprus (CyBC)
• Croatia (HRT)
• Norway (NRK)
Second Semi-Final (15 May)
First Half:
• Austria (ORF)
• Lithuania (LRT)
• Armenia (AMPTV)
• Montenegro (RTCG)
• Greece (ERT)
• Ireland (RTE)
• Australia (SBS)
• Latvia (LTV)
Second Half:
• Czechia (CT)
• Israel (KAN)
• Malta (PBS)
• Finland (YLE)
• Denmark (DR)
• Luxembourg (RTL)
• Georgia (GPB)
• Serbia (RTS)
The top 10 entries from each Semi-Final will join the six pre-qualified countries—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland (the host country)—in the Grand Final on 17 May.
A Special Handover and Friendship Gift
The Semi-Final Draw was part of the official handover ceremony, where Malmö, last year’s Host City, passed the Eurovision torch to Basel. To symbolize this, Malmö presented a unique “friendship gift” to Basel—a brightly colored robe designed by Malmö designer Pampas.
The robe, inspired by the outfit worn by Eurovision 2024 winner Nemo, was made from recycled Eurovision advertising banners and adorned with the words “creativity,” “democracy,” and “reused citydress.” This gift symbolises Eurovision’s values and will remain in Basel as a legacy of the event.
A Historic Host City
Basel is hosting Eurovision for the first time, following Switzerland’s third victory in 2024 with Nemo’s “The Code.” The contest will take place at St. JakobsHalle, with live shows scheduled for 13, 15, and 17 May.
Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl expressed his excitement:
“Basel is ready to take the torch and deliver an extraordinary Contest. With 37 broadcasters participating, we can’t wait to showcase the very best of diverse international music and courageous creativity to hundreds of millions of viewers.”
An Educational Milestone
For the first time in Eurovision history, students played a significant role in organizing the Semi-Final Draw. Fourteen students from Switzerland’s University of Applied Sciences designed and managed the ceremony and will also produce coverage of the Opening Ceremony and Turquoise Carpet event on 11 May.
About Post Author
