Four countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia – have withdrawn from Eurovision 2026. The reason for this was the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) decision to allow Israel to participate in the contest, which will be held in Vienna in May 2026.
The day before, the majority of EBU delegates voted to change the rules for the song contest. As the organization explained, the goal of the reforms is to reduce the level of politicization of Eurovision and increase trust in its procedures.
It is also noted that all EBU member broadcasters who agree to the updated regulations will be able to participate in Eurovision 2026.
Since the rules were changed, Israel’s participation issue was automatically removed from the agenda. Among the innovations are measures to limit political influence, in particular support campaigns. In addition, the role of national juries has been expanded: their assessments will again be taken into account in the semi-finals. As a reminder, Israel’s Yuval Raphael came second at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, largely thanks to televoting.
The Spanish broadcaster RTVE said that the EBU’s decision only increased its “distrust in the organization of the festival” and that it would refuse not only to participate but also to broadcast the contest. Spain is one of the Big Five – the countries whose broadcasters provide the largest financial contribution to the EBU.
The Irish broadcaster RTÉ stressed that it considered participation “unacceptable against the backdrop of the terrible human losses in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that continues to threaten the lives of civilians.”
The Dutch company AVROTROS noted that “under the current circumstances, participation is incompatible with core societal values.”
Germany and Austria, the host country of the 2026 contest, insist on Israel’s right to participate.
According to Aleksandr Vuletich, a Eurovision researcher and author of the book “Post-war Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest”, “this is the most serious boycott in the entire history of the contest. Such incidents have happened in the past, but they were usually bilateral.”