Photo Credit: Robert Lukeman
Iceland pulls out of Eurovision 2026, joining a growing list of countries boycotting the event over Israel’s participation.
Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV announced on Wednesday that it will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest of Israel’s participation. The country joins four others in boycotting the music competition.
Broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia also told the European Broadcasting Union last week that they will not take part in the contest in Vienna in May. The move comes after organizers declined to refuse Israel’s involvement in 2026 over the war against Hamas in Gaza.
“Given the public debate in this country, […] it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “It is therefore the conclusion of RÚV to notify the EBU today that RÚV will not take part in Eurovision next year.”
The general assembly of the EBU, a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that organizes Eurovision, met to discuss concerns over Israel’s participation. Members voted to adopt stronger contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of its competitor. However, the assembly took no action to exclude any broadcasters from the competition.
The walkouts include some major players in Eurovision. Iceland has never won the song contest, but with a population of 360,000, it has the highest per capita viewing audience of any country. Spain is one of the “Big Five” in the Eurovision world that has contributed significantly to the contest over the years. Ireland has won Eurovision seven times, a record is shares with Sweden.
The contest turns 70 in 2026, and has always strived to “put pop before politics” as a feel-good cultural party marked by friendly rivalry. Unfortunately, the event has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its invasion of Ukraine.
Wednesday, December 10, was the final day for national broadcasters to announce whether they planned to participate in 2026.
