Spain threatens 2026 Eurovision boycott if Israel takes part

Spain, one of the five main financial contributors to Eurovision, will not participate in next year’s song competition in Vienna if Israel takes part, the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE announced on Tuesday.

The decision was made at an RTVE board meeting, the broadcaster said.

Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun had warned last week that Madrid was considering a withdrawal from the event.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had also stated that Spain cannot take part in a competition that includes Israel, citing the country’s military action in the Gaza Strip.

Pressure on the song contest’s organizers has been growing for weeks, with broadcasters from Ireland and the Netherlands already threatening a boycott of the song contest if Israel is not excluded.

Slovenia also made it clear at the beginning of September that it would not participate in the competition if Israel takes part, while Iceland is also considering such a step.

The beloved musical extravaganza allows countries primarily from Europe, but also beyond, to each submit a song to compete for the title, with performances judged by national juries and public voting.

National broadcasters play a central role in Eurovision, as they are the official representatives of their countries within the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), responsible for selecting their entries, coordinating the live broadcasts and overseeing voting procedures.

Their participation, funding and organizational support are crucial to the contest, making their threats of withdrawal a significant disruption to the event.

The Eurovision’s so-called Big Five are France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. These are the countries that automatically qualify for the grand final because of their major financial contributions to the contest.

Israel’s Kan broadcaster said this week that the country intends to participate despite the opposition.

Spain’s left-wing government is one of the fiercest critics in Europe of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Although RTVE is autonomous in its decisions, the government exerts considerable influence over the broadcaster.