Iceland has announced its decision to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, joining Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.
The withdrawal of these five nations follows the official confirmation of Israel’s participation in the upcoming competition last week.
Stefan Eiriksson, Director-General of Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV, stated, “There is no peace or joy connected to this contest as things stand now. On that basis, first and foremost, we are stepping back while the situation is as it is.”
RÚV cited Israel’s involvement as having “created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.”
The broadcaster’s board reached this decision during a meeting on Wednesday, shortly before the deadline for countries to confirm their participation in the 70th anniversary edition of the song contest, scheduled for next May.
Iceland was widely regarded as the final country to announce its stance on the matter.
Eurovision Director Martin Green commented, “We respect the decision of all broadcasters who have chosen not to participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and hope to welcome them back soon.”
Israel’s presence at Eurovision has increasingly become a point of contention, primarily due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and concerns surrounding the integrity of the voting and campaigning processes, including allegations of governmental influence on the public vote at this year’s event.
The EBU addressed these concerns at a recent summit, approving a new set of measures designed to safeguard the integrity of the vote. Following this, the majority of participating countries confirmed their attendance in Vienna for the 2026 contest.
Previously, the Icelandic broadcaster’s board had endorsed a recommendation to request that the EBU bar Israel from participating in Eurovision 2026.
Reports indicated that Iceland was among seven countries that subsequently requested a vote at the EBU general meeting regarding Israel’s participation.
This request was ultimately denied, and Israel’s future participation was instead linked to a vote on the newly proposed voting and campaigning regulations.
While acknowledging that the new measures addressed many of its concerns, the Icelandic broadcaster stated that it “believes that there are still doubts whether the agreed adjustments would be fully satisfactory.”
“RÚV has repeatedly raised concerns that various Icelandic stakeholders, such as artist associations and the general public, were opposed to participation in the contest.”
“Furthermore, RÚV had requested the EBU to exclude [Israeli public broadcaster] KAN from the contest in accordance to precedents.”
“It is a complex matter which has already damaged the contest’s reputation and EBU, emphasizing the necessity of a solution for all concerned parties.”
According to a transcript of Thursday’s meeting provided by KAN, the broadcaster’s chief executive, Golan Yochpaz, criticized those advocating for Israel’s exclusion.
“The attempt to remove KAN from the contest can only be understood as a cultural boycott,” he asserted. “A boycott may begin today with Israel, but no one knows where it will end or who else it may harm.”
“Is this what we truly want this contest to be remembered for on its 70th anniversary?”
Israel has been a participant in Eurovision since 1973 due to KAN, its public broadcaster, being a member of the EBU, which organizes the competition.
Israel has secured victory four times, most recently in 2018, and achieved second place in the 2025 contest.
Iceland has yet to win the competition, but placed second in 1999 and 2009.
Meanwhile, Poland confirmed on Wednesday that it will take part in next year’s contest.
“We are aware of the scale of tensions surrounding the upcoming edition. We understand the emotions and concerns,” broadcaster TVP stated.
“However, we believe that Eurovision still has a chance to once again become a space filled with music – and only music.”
“We are giving it that chance, just as the vast majority of EBU members are.”
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