Producers announce running order for Eurovision Grand Final, locking in performance slots

The European Broadcasting Union and Austrian broadcaster ORF published the running order for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 Grand Final in the early hours of Friday, May 15, setting the sequence for all 25 performances in Vienna. The official lineup puts Denmark first and host country Austria last, with the show scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at 21:00 CEST. The order matters because Eurovision no longer relies on a full random draw for final performance positions. Instead, producers build the sequence after a partial draw that sorts countries into the first half, second half or a producer’s-choice pool. ### Why was the order announced only after the second semi-final? Thursday, May 14, was the last semi-final night, and ORF set the Grand Final order only after the full field of qualifiers was known. Eurovision’s official site said the running order was decided in the early hours following the second semi-final, after 20 qualifiers joined the automatic finalists — Austria as defending champion and the Big 4 of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. (eurovision.com) The 2026 contest has 35 participating countries in total, with 25 reaching the Grand Final. Eurovisionworld’s event page lists the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna as the venue and names Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski as hosts, with Emily Busvine in the green room. ### If it is producer-set, what exactly was drawn? The May 13-15 allocation process did not assign most countries an exact slot. (eurovision.com) Eurovisionworld said each finalist drew one of three outcomes: first half, second half or “producer’s choice.” Countries in the first half had to perform in slots 1-13, countries in the second half in slots 14-25, and countries drawing producer’s choice could be placed anywhere by ORF, subject to EBU approval. (eurovisionworld.com) Austria was the exception. Eurovisionworld said Austria had already been assigned song number 25 through an earlier draw, meaning the host entry’s closing position was known before the full running order was released. ### Which countries landed where in the final lineup? The official Eurovision list opens with Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund performing “Før Vi Går Hjem” in slot 1. (eurovisionworld.com) Germany follows in slot 2, Israel in slot 3 and Belgium in slot 4. Albania performs fifth, followed by Greece, Ukraine, Australia, Serbia and Malta to complete the first 10 songs. Slots 11 through 20 go to Czechia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the United Kingdom, France, Moldova, Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Sweden. The last five songs are Cyprus in slot 21, Italy in slot 22, Norway in slot 23, Romania in slot 24 and Austria in slot 25. ### How does that compare with the draw categories? (eurovision.com) Six countries had drawn the first half: Australia, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Greece and Serbia. Seven countries had drawn the second half: Cyprus, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Austria, with Austria fixed at 25. The remaining 12 finalists — including Albania, France, Germany, Italy and Ukraine — were in the producer’s-choice group and could be placed more flexibly across the show. That means Denmark’s opening slot came from a first-half draw but still depended on producer placement within that half. Austria’s closing slot, by contrast, was locked in before the final lineup was assembled. ### What happens next on Saturday night? Saturday, May 16, is the Grand Final, which Eurovision’s official site said will be broadcast at 21:00 CEST on the contest’s YouTube channel and by the 35 participating broadcasters. (eurovisionworld.com) The field includes 25 finalists, and voting will follow the performances using national juries, televoting from participating countries and online “Rest of the World” voting, according to Eurovisionworld’s event page. (eurovision.com)