Iceland joins Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying it will boycott the 2026 contest.

Iceland has joined Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in saying it will boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest.

All five countries have withdrawn after Israel’s participation in the competition was officially confirmed last week.

“The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) has decided not to participate in the Eurovision song contest in Vienna, Austria, next year,” a statement said after an RÚV board meeting on Wednesday.

“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.”

  • djdarren@piefed.socialEnglish
    4·
    27 days ago

    Off the top of my head, 20 countries make it to the final. The Big Five (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK) are all guaranteed a spot, the remaining 15 spots are decided by semi finals.

    So in theory, if enough countries boycotted that there were fewer than 20 countries left for the final, they might start to panic. But I suspect the show would just go on.