Four nations – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia – have refused to take part in Eurovision 2026. The reason is the decision of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to allow Israel to compete. The show is scheduled to take place in May 2026 in Vienna.

What happened earlier

The day before, a majority of EBU delegates voted in favor of changing the contest’s rules. According to the union, the reforms aim to reduce the level of political influence within Eurovision and to strengthen trust in its procedures.

«The new rules are intended to reinforce confidence in the contest, enhance its transparency, and emphasize its neutral character», the EBU press release states.

The document also specifies that all broadcasters who are members of the organization and agree to the updated regulations will be eligible to participate in Eurovision 2026.

Since the rules were revised, the question of Israel’s participation was automatically removed from the agenda. Among the changes are measures limiting the impact of political factors, including coordinated support campaigns. In addition, the authority of national juries has been expanded: their scores will once again be counted in the semifinals. It is worth recalling that largely thanks to televoting, Israeli singer Yuval Raphael took second place at Eurovision 2025 in Basel.

Reactions of the boycotting countries

Spanish broadcaster RTVE stated that the EBU’s decision only deepened its «distrust toward the festival’s organization», and declined not only to compete but also to broadcast the event. Spain is part of the Big Five – the countries that make the largest financial contributions to the EBU.

Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ noted that participation would be «unacceptable against the backdrop of the horrific loss of life in Gaza and the ongoing humanitarian crisis threatening civilians».

Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS declared that participation was «incompatible with key societal values under the present circumstances».

Who opposed the boycott

Germany and Austria – the host country of the 2026 contest – opposed excluding Israel from the competition.

According to Eurovision researcher and author of «Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest» Aleksandar Vuletić, «this is the most serious boycott in the contest’s history. Boycotts have occurred before, but they were usually bilateral in nature».

Context

Calls to exclude Israel were first voiced after the 2025 contest. The country finished second in the final but received the most audience votes. It was Spain’s broadcaster that first raised the issue, stating that «televoting is vulnerable to the influence of military conflicts», particularly the war in Ukraine, which «may erode the cultural essence of the ceremony». RTVE also expressed concern over the transparency of the televoting process.

Photo: Instagram @eurovision