Eurovision faces existential crisis as countries threaten 2026 boycott over Israel

The Eurovision Song Contest is facing an “existential” crisis as a growing number of countries threaten to boycott the 2026 competition if Israel is allowed to participate.

The cultural backlash against Israel has intensified across Europe in recent weeks due to its actions in Gaza. Spain’s prime minister has demanded the country’s exclusion from international sporting events, a festival in Belgium has excluded an Israeli conductor, and the list of countries calling for Israel’s removal from the major music competition is rapidly growing.

Europe is grappling with whether cultural bans on Israeli artists and athletes are legitimate sanctions. While some EU governments describe them as proportional responses to the war in Gaza, other European administrations, Israeli officials, and Jewish groups argue they risk turning into antisemitism.

Although Eurovision is set to take place in Vienna in May, the contest—organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public service media with 113 members in 56 countries, and described as “non-political”—already appears to be overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Israel’s participation.

Martin Green, the Director of Eurovision, stated that the organization is “still in consultation” with EBU members regarding “participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and how to manage geopolitical tensions.” He added, “We understand the concerns and deeply held views regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

According to an expert on the competition, the consequences of this geopolitical tension are considered the most serious threat in Eurovision’s history.

The executive, who argued that the current situation is “unprecedented,” emphasized that this is the first time a group of countries has stated they will not participate in the contest because of another country.

Spain became the latest country to join the movement on Tuesday when the majority of the board of its public broadcaster, RTVE, decided to withdraw from next year’s Eurovision if Israel is allowed to participate.

Spain’s boycott threat is the latest move in an escalating conflict between Madrid and Israel. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have clashed over sanctions, arms embargoes, and pro-Palestinian protests at a prestigious cycling race.

This move, made on the morning a United Nations commission concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, seems poised to ignite a crisis within the EBU. Spain is one of the five largest financial contributors to the public broadcasting union, a privilege that guarantees the country an automatic spot in the Eurovision final.

If Israel is permitted to participate in the 70th contest next year, Spain will be absent from the final for the first time since its debut in 1961.

Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, announced that the country is preparing to participate in the contest next May and that it “has scrupulously adhered to the competition rules and will continue to do so.”

Miki Zohar, Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports, argued that the threats from several countries to withdraw are “a shameful and hypocritical step that contradicts the values of the competition and the spirit of connection that forms its foundation.”

Ireland, Slovenia, and the Netherlands have also threatened to boycott. Iceland has indicated, less definitively, that it might withdraw if Israel participates. The countries cite the deadly suffering in Gaza under Israeli bombardment, the erosion of press freedom, and the targeting of journalists as their reasons.

On Friday, the Dutch public broadcaster AVROTROS expressed concerns that the Israeli government interfered in this year’s contest, using it as a “political tool.”

Israel won the public vote in the 2025 event, which led to questions from some other countries about whether the voting system might have been manipulated.

The EBU has been conducting extensive discussions with its members about Israel’s participation in the 2026 contest since the issue was raised at a meeting of national broadcasters in London in June.

Director Green said that it is up to each EBU member to decide whether they want to participate in the contest and that they must confirm their intention to join next year’s event by mid-December.

Broadcasters will meet at the next EBU general assembly in Geneva on December 4 and 5, where they will vote on Israel’s participation in the competition.

Some broadcasters support the EBU’s current position that the contest should remain apolitical.

ARD, Germany’s umbrella organization of regional public broadcasters, announced that it would support any decision made by the EBU.

SWR, the regional broadcaster responsible for organizing Germany’s Eurovision entry, also confirmed this to POLITICO.

An SWR spokesperson said that Eurovision is a contest “organized by broadcasters, not by governments,” and that it brings people together “regardless of origin, religion, or belief.”

The director-general of the UK’s public broadcaster, the BBC, stated this week that Eurovision has “never been about politics” and that determining participants is under the EBU’s authority.

However, in 2022, the EBU banned Russia from the competition.