Four Nations Pull Out of Eurovision 2026 After Israel Approved to Compete

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands have confirmed they will not take part in Eurovision 2026 after the European Broadcasting Union decided Israel can remain in the competition. The announcement followed a general assembly of participating broadcasters, where no vote on Israel’s status was held despite calls for a formal decision. Instead, members only approved a set of new rules meant to curb disproportionate state or third-party promotion of entries.

According to the EBU, a clear majority concluded that no additional vote was required and that the 2026 contest should continue as planned with the updated safeguards. However, the decision triggered immediate withdrawals. Ireland’s public broadcaster RTÉ said it could not justify participating or airing the event in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the high civilian death toll. Spain’s RTVE also said it would neither take part nor broadcast the competition, arguing that the internal process had fallen short and created distrust among members.

The Netherlands followed suit, with Avrotros stating that participation would contradict its core public values under current circumstances. Slovenia’s RTVSLO, which had already signaled earlier this year it was prepared to boycott, reiterated that joining the contest would go against its principles of peace, equality and respect.

The Spanish broadcaster was among eight national networks that demanded a secret ballot at the Geneva meeting. RTVE later said its request for a separate vote on Israel’s participation had been denied, which it described as further proof of political influence surrounding the event. Spain’s culture minister Ernest Urtasun publicly supported RTVE’s decision, saying culture should stand with peace and human rights.

Despite the withdrawals, several broadcasters backed the EBU’s position. The BBC confirmed it will air next year’s event, saying the vote was about applying EBU rules consistently and ensuring inclusiveness. Germany’s SWR also plans to remain in the contest. Before the assembly, SWR had stressed that Eurovision is a broadcasters’ competition rather than a government-led event, and that Israel’s broadcaster Kan meets the technical requirements to participate.

The new rules discussed at the meeting were introduced partly in response to concerns raised after Israel topped the public vote in May, prompting complaints over the scale and methods of promotion. Sixty-five percent of delegates supported the changes, 23 percent opposed them, and 10 percent abstained. Nordic broadcasters from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland backed the update, describing it as a necessary step to reinforce confidence in the voting system, while calling for continued dialogue about the contest’s integrity. Iceland’s RÚV, which had previously contemplated a boycott, said it will review its position next week.

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog welcomed the outcome, saying his country has every right to be represented “on every stage” and expressing hope the contest will continue to promote cultural exchange and international friendship.

The 2026 edition, the 70th in Eurovision’s history, will take place in Vienna after Austria’s victory this year. Discussions around Israel’s participation have been particularly sensitive in Germany and Austria. In Germany, several politicians had suggested that SWR withdraw if Israel were excluded, while Austria’s ORF expressed its preference for Israel to take part.

Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973 and has won four times. While it remained in the competition during the past two years amid public controversy, Russia was removed in 2022 after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.