Eurovision 2026 will feature 35 countries, organizers say

Thirty-five countries will compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, organizers say, despite five countries boycotting over Israel’s participation in the glitzy annual extravaganza.

Opposition to Israel’s tactics in the two-year war in Gaza had led to some calls for it to be excluded from the world’s biggest live televised music event. On December 4, members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the world’s largest public service media alliance, decided no vote was needed on Israel’s continued inclusion.

Public broadcasters in Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain duly announced they would boycott the 70th edition of the contest, to be held in the Austrian capital in May.

The Geneva-based EBU is now announcing the list of broadcasters competing in the show, saying 35 will be sending songs and artists to Vienna.

A total of 37 countries competed in this year’s contest in Basel, Switzerland, which was won by Austrian operatic singer JJ with “Wasted Love.”

Despite the five-country boycott, 35 nations will compete next year as Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova return to the contest after absences of three, two and one year respectively.

“As we prepare to celebrate 70 years of the Eurovision Song Contest it remains a place where voices, cultures, languages and music are woven together. Where people from many backgrounds can show that in a difficult world a better one is possible,” Eurovision director Martin Green says in a statement.