Iceland says will boycott 2026 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel's participation

Iceland's state broadcaster on Wednesday announced it would boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the fifth country to pull out after Israel was given the go-ahead to compete.

Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia all announced their withdrawal from the world's biggest live music competition last week, after a meeting with organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

EBU members had been expected to vote on new measures brought in to tackle alleged irregularities in voting in previous events, and after strong criticism of Israel's war in Gaza.

But organisers said a vote was not necessary, paving the way for Israel to compete, despite claims that it was using the contest for political purposes.

Iceland's RUV put off its decision until a board meeting on Wednesday, after which it stated that it had "decided not to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in Austria next year".

"The board of RUV had also requested of the EBU that (Israel's state broadcaster) KAN be removed from the contest."

Iceland's decision had been expected after it said it was considering its position.

"Given the public debate in this country and the reactions to the decision of the EBU that was taken last week, it is clear that neither joy nor peace will prevail regarding the participation of RUV in Eurovision," the broadcaster added.

Some 37 countries took part in the 2025 edition, which was won by Austrian operatic singer JJ. Israel came second.

The contest, which turns 70 in 2026, has been roiled by the war on Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organisers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

Last week, the general assembly of the EBU, a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs the glitzy annual event, met to discuss concerns about Israel's participation.

Members voted to adopt tougher contest voting rules in response to allegations that Israel had manipulated the vote in favour of their contestants, but took no action to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.

Wednesday marked the final day for national broadcasters to announce whether they planned to participate.

The EBU says a final list of competing nations will be published before Christmas. Eurovision director Martin Green said an estimated 35 countries would take part in 2026.