The 5 countries boycotting Eurovision 2026 — and the ones still participating
Eurovision is facing backlash, and boycotts, for a third year in a row. The 2026 contest of the annual European song contest is going into its first round of semifinals tonight with its lowest participant count since 2003, with a handful of countries opting out of airing the competition or sending their own participants because of Israel’s participation. Though the country’s participation in the contest has raised controversy for decades, backlash has been heightened since 2023, when their war on Gaza, which is still raging today, began. After it was permitted to compete this year again, multiple countries announced they would boycott, and 2024 winner Nemo (from Switzerland) as well as 1994 winner Charlie McGettigan (from Ireland) returned their trophies in protest of the decision. Moreover, sparking additional controversy, the week of the semifinals, the New York Times released an investigation alleging that Israel, via a well-organized campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, engaged in a broad effort to attain votes in favor of the country, unfairly influencing the results through a mass voting …






