Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV has withdrawn from next year’s Eurovision, making Iceland the fifth country to boycott after the EBU cleared Israel’s KAN to compete. RÚV cited public discord and said the contest can no longer unite Icelanders. The EBU said member stations broadly supported recent rule changes; Poland, Germany and Austria will still participate, while Ireland and Spain publicly criticized Israel’s inclusion.
Iceland Becomes Fifth Country To Withdraw From Eurovision After EBU Clears Israel
Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ, of Austria, gestures with the trophy during a news conference after winning the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Wasted Love" in Basel, Switzerland, on May 18. File Photo by Georgios Kefalas/EPA
Iceland announced Wednesday that its public broadcaster, RÚV, will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, becoming the fifth country to withdraw over Israel’s inclusion. Iceland joins Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands in pulling out after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) cleared Israel’s national broadcaster, KAN, to compete.
Last week the EBU declined calls to expel KAN over Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza. The matter was discussed at EBU meetings in London and at a recent session in Geneva. According to the EBU, a large majority of member stations supported recent rule changes and the planned implementation of the contest, so no formal vote on KAN’s participation was held.
Following a vote by its board, RÚV said the decision reflects a heated public debate at home and broad disagreement over the EBU ruling. "It is clear from the public debate in this country and the reaction to the EBU's decision made last week that there will be neither joy nor peace regarding RÚV's participation in Eurovision. It is therefore RÚV's decision to inform the EBU today that RÚV will not participate in Eurovision next year," the broadcaster said in a statement.
RÚV added that KAN’s inclusion has caused "discord, both among the member stations of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and among the public," and that the Song Contest can no longer serve its goal of uniting Icelanders under current circumstances.
Other broadcasters reached different conclusions. Poland’s national broadcaster confirmed it will participate, saying it recognizes the tensions but believes Eurovision can still be "a space filled with music. And only music." Germany and Austria have also confirmed participation.
Opposing voices remain. Ireland’s RTE called participation "unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there." Spain’s Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun backed public broadcaster RTVE’s decision to withdraw, saying: "You can't whitewash Israel given the genocide in Gaza. Culture should be on the side of peace and justice."
Last year’s contest, held in Basel, Switzerland, featured 37 countries and was won by Austria’s Johannes Pietsch, known professionally as JJ.
The controversy underscores how geopolitical tensions can spill into cultural events and place broadcasters in difficult positions as they weigh public sentiment, institutional rules and international commitments.
