After Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia, Iceland has officially announced that it will boycott Eurovision 2026, following last week’s confirmation that Israel will participate in the contest.
The withdrawal was reported by the BBC, citing Icelandic broadcaster RUV, which said:
“The participation of Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, in the competition has created a lack of unity among the members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.”
Iceland had previously hinted at a potential boycott but chose to wait until its Board of Directors discussed the matter on Wednesday. The meeting took place just hours before the deadline for countries to confirm participation in what is expected to be the 70th anniversary edition of Eurovision, scheduled to be held in Austria in May 2026.
Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973 because its public broadcaster is an EBU member. The country has won the contest four times, most recently in 2018, and placed second last year.
However, its presence has become increasingly controversial due to the war in Gaza, ongoing political tensions, and allegations that the Israeli government attempted to influence public voting in last year’s competition. These concerns have fuelled growing disagreements within the EBU and among audiences across Europe.
