Iceland has become the fifth country to drop out of Eurovision in protest of Israel’s continued participation in the contest.
READ MORE: Eurovision 2024 – fans and boycotters speak: “This is bigger than the contest”
They join Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain in boycotting Eurovision after Israel was cleared to compete last week at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Despite calls for Israel to be excluded over its conduct in Gaza and concerns around voting and campaigning, there was no vote on its participation. However, the rules surrounding voting and promotion have been tweaked in light of these concerns, changing the number of votes fans have and reintroducing juries to the semi-finals and increasing their size from five to seven.
The EBU said in a statement, “A large majority of members agreed that there was no need for a further vote on participation and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place.”
Upon the EBU’s decision, Iceland’s broadcaster RÚV held a board meeting today (December 10) to make a final decision on its participation ahead of the deadline for countries to confirm whether they will join the contest next year or not.
“The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) has decided not to participate in the Eurovision song contest in Vienna, Austria, next year,” a statement read.
“Participation of Israeli national broadcaster, KAN, in the contest has created disunity among both members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the general public.”
The broadcaster went on to add that participating would be “neither be a source of joy nor peace” considering public opinion in Iceland and the reaction to the EBU’s general assembly last week.
“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 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.”
Iceland becomes the fifth nation to boycott Eurovision 2026 after it was confirmed that Israel will be allowed to compete. pic.twitter.com/RgTylC9bh7
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 10, 2025
Over 70 former Eurovision contestants signed an open letter calling for Israel and national broadcaster KAN to be banned from the 2025 contest. This year’s winner, JJ, has also called for Israel to be banned from the competition in 2026.
The calls to remove Israel from Eurovision have been in response to what an independent United Nations inquiry found to be a genocide in Gaza, which Israel has denied.
Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, said the country “deserves to be represented on every stage around the world” and he hopes “the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding.”
Israel came second in last year’s contest with Yuval Raphael, who survived the attack on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Next year’s Eurovision – the 70th edition of the contest – will take place in Vienna on May 16, 2026.
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