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 campaign.
Eurovision, which was first held in 1956, is run by the European Broadcasting Union, the world’s biggest alliance of public-service media. Amnesty International has said that their decision to not suspend Israel from Eurovision, as it did with Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, was “an act of cowardice and an illustration of blatant double standards.”
See below for which countries have opted out of the competition in protest of Israel, and what they have said.
© Getty ImagesSpain
Last year, when Spain first suggested they would be boycotting Eurovision, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Israel should not take part in international competitions, emphasizing: “Our position is clear and unequivocal: until the barbarity ceases, neither Russia nor Israel should participate in any international competition.” Spain will in turn air its own musical special over Eurovision, titled The House of Music.
© Getty ImagesIreland
Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE), Ireland’s public service broadcaster, confirmed in December they would neither be participating or airing Eurovision. “RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk. RTÉ remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory,” they said. They will instead air a Eurovision-themed episode of the popular 1990s Irish-made sitcom Father Ted.
© Getty ImagesSlovenia
“Instead of the Eurovision circus, the national television program will be colored by the thematic program series Voices of Palestine,” Slovenian broadcaster RTV said.
© Getty ImagesIceland
Iceland’s national broadcasting service RÚV said in December: “Given the public debate in this country … it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RÚV in Eurovision. It is therefore the conclusion of RÚV to notify the EBU today that RÚV will not take part in Eurovision next year,” adding: “The Song Contest and Eurovision have always had the aim of uniting the Icelandic nation but it is now clear that this aim cannot be achieved and it is on these program-related grounds that this decision is taken.”
© Getty ImagesNetherlands
Dutch broadcast rights holder AvroTros has also decided to boycott airing Eurovision, citing the “severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza, the suppression of press freedom, and the political interference during the last Eurovision Song Contest,” and maintained those three points “are incompatible” with its fundamental values and therefore it would be a violation of “the responsibility we bear as a public broadcaster” to join Israeli broadcaster KAN in Eurovision.
A total 35 countries are competing, though only 15 appear in the first semi-finals and another 15 in the second. Appearing in the first round are Moldova, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Georgia, Finland, Montenegro, Estonia, Israel, Belgium, Lithuania, San Marino, Poland, and Serbia; appearing in the second are Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, Czechia, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta, and Norway.