Iceland is the fifth country to boycott Eurovision over Israel’s participation

Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands have also withdrawn from the competition

Iceland has become the fifth country to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

The Nordic country joins Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying that they will not participate in next year’s competition after it was confirmed last week that Israel will be taking part, despite some calls for the country to be excluded over its military action in Gaza.

“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,” Icelandic broadcaster RÚV said in a statement on Wednesday (10 December).

As reported by BBC, Iceland had previously indicated it intended to skip next year’s contest, but wished to wait until the issue could be discussed by its board of directors before making it official.

The meeting took place just a few hours before the deadline for countries to confirm whether they will participate in the 70th edition of the singing competition, due to be held in Austria next May.

The EBU had backed away from calling a vote on Israeli participation, and instead passed rules aimed at discouraging governments from influencing the contest.

Pop duo VÆB represented Iceland at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest (AFP/Getty)

A BBC spokesperson said: “We support the collective decision made by members of the EBU. This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive.”

By contrast, Irish national broadcaster RTE described Israel’s participation as “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.

The RTE statement said: “Following today’s EBU winter general assembly in Geneva at which Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed, RTE’s position remains unchanged.”

Israel’s presence at Eurovision has been an increasing source of tension due to its war in Gaza, as well as the accusations that Israel’s government tried to influence the public vote at this year’s event.

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Russia was banned from Eurovision after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but Israel has continued to compete for the past two years despite disputes.

The EBU has introduced a range of measures designed to protect the integrity of the vote, but the Icelandic broadcaster said it “believes that there are still doubts whether the agreed adjustments would be fully satisfactory”.

Israeli singer Yuval Raphael represented Israel at Eurovision last year (AFP/Getty)

“RÚV has repeatedly raised concerns that various Icelandic stakeholders, such as artist associations and the general public, were opposed to participation in the contest,” they said.

“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, emphasising the necessity of a solution for all concerned parties.”

Last week, Spain said it had decided to withdraw after it asked for a vote on Israel’s participation. Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands also pulled out after the summit.

Israel has taken part in Eurovision since 1973 because its public broadcaster, Kan, is a member of the EBU. Israel has won four times, most recently in 2018. It came second in the 2025 contest.