Four Countries Boycott Eurovision 2026 After Israel Confirmed to Compete
Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands have announced they will boycott Eurovision 2026 after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that Israel will be allowed to participate, despite growing calls from several broadcasters to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza.
During Thursday’s EBU general assembly, no vote was held on Israel’s participation. Instead, members approved new rules designed to prevent governments and external actors from disproportionately promoting entries to sway public voting. The EBU said a “large majority” agreed that no additional vote was necessary.
Following the decision, Ireland’s broadcaster RTÉ declared it would not take part in the contest nor broadcast the event, calling participation “unconscionable” amid the “appalling loss of civilian lives in Gaza”. Spain’s broadcaster RTVE also announced it would neither broadcast the contest nor the semifinals in Vienna, criticizing the EBU’s decision-making process as “insufficient” and fostering “distrust”.
Spain’s culture minister, Ernest Urtasun, publicly 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 later joined the boycott, saying participation could not be aligned with its core public values. Slovenia’s national broadcaster, which had been the first to threaten a withdrawal earlier this year, reiterated that participating would violate its commitment to peace, equality and respect.
Meanwhile, several northern European broadcasters — including those from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland — supported the EBU’s rule changes and confirmed they would remain in next year’s contest. They urged continued dialogue on ensuring Eurovision’s credibility and transparency.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, welcomed the decision, saying the country “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world” and expressed hope that Eurovision would continue to promote cultural understanding.
Eurovision 2026 will be held in Vienna, following Austria’s win by singer JJ. Israel, which has won the contest four times, remains eligible to compete through its broadcaster Kan, which the EBU says meets all participation requirements.
Russia, by contrast, was banned from Eurovision in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Source: AP
