Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after Israel was allowed to compete in the 2026 event. This decision comes despite calls from several participating broadcasters to exclude Israel due to the war in Gaza.
No vote on Israel’s participation was held during Thursday’s general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the competition. Instead, broadcasters voted only to introduce new rules aimed at preventing governments and third parties from excessively promoting songs to influence voters.
The EBU stated that a large majority of members agreed no further vote on participation was necessary and that the 2026 contest should proceed as planned with these additional safeguards.
In response, Ireland’s RTÉ announced it would neither participate in nor broadcast the 2026 contest, citing the “appalling loss of lives in Gaza” and the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Spain’s RTVE also said it would not broadcast the contest or semi-finals, calling the decision-making process “insufficient” and expressing “distrust.”
The BBC confirmed it would broadcast next year’s competition, supporting the EBU’s collective decision and emphasizing the importance of enforcing rules and inclusivity. Germany’s SWR also confirmed its participation.
Spain’s national broadcaster, along with seven other countries, had formally requested a secret ballot on Israel’s participation during the Geneva summit, but the EBU presidency denied the request. RTVE stated this increased its distrust of the festival’s organization and confirmed the political pressures involved.
Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, backed the boycott, stating, “You can’t whitewash Israel given the genocide in Gaza. Culture should be on the side of peace and justice.”
The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced its withdrawal, saying participation “cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation.” Slovenia’s RTVSLO, the first to threaten a boycott this summer, said participation would conflict with its values of “peace, equality and respect.”
During the meeting, EBU members discussed new rules to prevent undue promotion of songs, a concern raised after Israel topped the public vote in May’s contest. While these rule changes were seen as an olive branch to critics, they were insufficient for most nations planning to boycott.For information about how we use your data, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website, and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Sixty-five percent of delegates voted in favor of the changes to the song contest and against further discussion on Israel’s participation, while 23% voted against and 10% abstained.
Broadcasters from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland were among those supporting the changes, all stating they would continue to back the contest. In a joint statement, they said they “supported” the EBU’s decision to “address critical shortcomings” in the voting system but believed it was “important to maintain an ongoing dialogue about safeguarding the credibility of the EBU and the Eurovision Song Contest moving forward.”
Iceland’s RÚV, which had threatened a boycott earlier this year, said it would reconsider its position at a board meeting next Wednesday.
Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the decision on his country’s participation, stating that Israel “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world.” He wrote on X: “I am pleased that Israel will once again participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, and I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding.”
The 2026 edition, the 70th in its history and the world’s largest live music event, will be held in Vienna following this year’s win by Austrian singer JJ.
In Germany, leading politicians had proposed that SWR withdraw in solidarity if Israel were excluded. ORF, the Austrian host broadcaster, had also expressed its desire for Israel to compete. Before the meeting, SWR stated that Israel was entitled to participate, noting that the contest has for decades been “a competition organized by EBU broadcasters, not by governments,” and that “the Israeli broadcaster Kan meets all the requirements for participation in 2026.”
Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Israel, which has won the contest four times since its debut in 1973, has competed for the past two years despite ongoing disputes over its participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Four Countries Boycott 2026 Eurovision Over Israels Participation
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is the basic news here
Four countries have announced they will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest because the contests organizers have allowed Israel to compete
2 Which four countries are boycotting
As of the latest announcements the countries are Norway Finland Iceland and Denmark
3 Why are they boycotting
These countries are protesting Israels participation due to its ongoing military actions in Gaza They believe that allowing Israel to compete normalizes the situation and contradicts the contests stated values of unity and peace
4 What is the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision is an annual international song competition primarily between European countries Its one of the worlds mostwatched nonsporting events
5 Has this kind of boycott happened before
Yes Political controversies and boycotts are not new to Eurovision For example many countries boycotted in the 1960s80s over political issues and more recently Russia was excluded in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine
Intermediate Advanced Questions
6 Who decides which countries can participate in Eurovision
The European Broadcasting Union sets the rules A country must have an EBU member broadcaster to participate The EBU insists Eurovision is a nonpolitical event but its decisions on participation often have political ramifications
7 Why was Israel allowed to compete while Russia was banned
The EBU states that Russian broadcasters were suspended from the union for violating its core values due to the war in Ukraine Regarding Israel the EBU has determined that its public broadcaster Kan meets the membership and broadcasting criteria and thus it qualifies to compete Critics argue this is an inconsistent application of rules
8 What impact will this boycott have on the 2026 contest
For the contest It may diminish the united by music image create a more tense atmosphere and shift media focus to politics over music
