Five countries boycotted the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest over Israel’s participation during the war on Gaza. Audience figures fell from 166 million in 2025 to 131 million in 2026. Ireland has confirmed it won’t take part for a second time in a row. The dispute has prompted changes to the contest’s hosting and voting rules, while organizers pursue expansion beyond Europe.
The boycotts involved the Netherlands, Spain, Iceland, Slovenia and Ireland. The Netherlands’ usual Eurovision broadcaster had said it would again snub the show, arguing it refused to take part in an event that “can no longer be considered neutral, with a participating country still involved in a large-scale military conflict.” Dutch public broadcasting association NPO later decided to resume participation. Spain, Iceland and Slovenia hadn’t made official announcements about participation in 2027.
Broadcasters have until mid-October 2026 to withdraw their applications without a financial penalty. Participation rules aren’t limited to countries within Europe’s geographic boundaries; they’re open to active members of the European Broadcasting Union. Israel’s public broadcaster has competed regularly since 1973. Australia joined as a special participant in 2015 and has remained a contestant.
Rules change amid political dispute
Organizers announced new hosting rules in August. Under the rules, “the winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host the contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region,” organizers said in a statement. The winning country usually hosts the following edition.
The rule doesn’t name a country. The report said organizers intended it to avoid holding the show in Israel, which came close to winning in 2025 and 2026. The United Kingdom hosted the 2023 event on behalf of Ukraine because of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Organizers are also changing how viewers vote after a controversy in 2025, when the Israeli government encouraged Israelis to register multiple votes for its contestant. Viewers can currently cast up to 10 votes per payment method for a favourite act by phone, text message or online. After the controversy, organizers cut the maximum number of public votes from 20 to 10. They now plan to move voting entirely online and require voters to select three acts instead of one.
Expansion as participation falls
Bulgaria will host the 2027 contest after singer Dara won in Vienna with “Bangaranga.” The event will take place in Burgas, on the Black Sea coast. Bulgaria first participated in 2005 and is developing infrastructure for the event. Milena Milotinova, general director of Bulgaria’s public broadcaster BNT, said residents celebrated Burgas’s selection with spontaneous music and dance performances and flash mobs.
“The important thing is that we already have a hall, and the stage design is being developed based on that,” Milotinova told DW. “We are in the midst of frantic preparations. There are no days off, so we hope we’ll be able to get everything done on time and put on a spectacular, world-class Eurovision show.”
Eurovision Song Contest Asia is scheduled to debut in November 2026, with Bangkok chosen as host city. Eleven countries are taking part, and negotiations are under way to attract more Asian countries in 2027. A Latin American spin-off was announced previously but hasn’t materialized.
Canada’s addition to the European lineup was announced in July, with its debut set for 2027. Canada’s participation is also a strategic effort by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government to deepen cultural and diplomatic ties with Europe. The government’s budget included $150 million Canadian (€93 million, $106 million) in funding for the broadcaster. “This is the biggest global music event. So it’s an opportunity to put our artists on this global stage,” Jennifer Dettman, Canada’s Eurovision Song Contest head of delegation, told DW.