Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV has confirmed it will not participate in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2026, citing public opposition after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) allowed Israel’s broadcaster KAN to compete. The decision makes Iceland the fifth country to withdraw, following Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands.
In a statement issued after a board meeting on 10 December, RÚV said that, given domestic debate and the reaction to last week’s EBU decision, participation would bring “neither joy nor peace”. The broadcaster added that the inclusion of KAN had created disunity among EBU Members and its own audiences.
RÚV had previously asked the EBU to bar KAN and referenced prior exclusions, a position the board formalised in late November ahead of the EBU’s General Assembly. That request did not proceed to a vote; instead, Members were asked to assess a package of voting and campaigning safeguards for 2026.
At the General Assembly last week, no ballot on excluding Israel was tabled. Delegates backed the reforms designed to protect neutrality and the vote, with reporting indicating around two‑thirds support. The EBU said the measures are intended to reinforce trust and keep the Contest neutral.
The reforms include clearer limits on disproportionate promotion, particularly by governments or state agencies; a reduction of the maximum votes per payment method from 20 to 10; and the return of expanded professional juries in the Semi‑Finals, alongside strengthened technical checks against coordinated or fraudulent voting.
Spain’s RTVE, Ireland’s RTÉ, Slovenia’s RTV SLO and the Netherlands’ AVROTROS had already confirmed they would not take part in Vienna next year, each arguing that participation would conflict with their public service values while the Gaza war continues. Iceland’s announcement brings the number of confirmed withdrawals to five.
KAN’s chief executive Golan Yochpaz told EBU Members that attempts to remove Israel amounted to a “cultural boycott”, warning of broader consequences for freedom of expression. Israel’s participation is based on KAN’s EBU membership; the broadcaster has competed since the 1970s.
The 2026 Contest is scheduled for Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, hosted by Austria’s ORF, with live shows on 12, 14 and 16 May. The EBU plans to confirm the full list of participating broadcasters before Christmas.
Israel placed second at Eurovision 2025 in Basel as Austria won, a result that intensified debate among broadcasters about campaigning and the balance between televote and juries. Those concerns feed directly into the new 2026 safeguards.
For policy teams at public broadcasters, the immediate operational issue is whether the new compliance rules on promotion and voting require changes to marketing and artist support programmes. Even for non‑boycotting Members, the EBU has signalled stricter enforcement and potential sanctions for undue influence ahead of Vienna.