Denmark will participate in Eurovision 2026, but only if certain conditions are met.
It has been confirmed that Denmark will be participating in Eurovision 2026. However, as part of this confirmation, Danish broadcaster DR have set out some conditions that will be crucial to their participation in next years contest.
Speaking to DR Nyheder, Gustav Lützhøft, Senior Editor of DR Culture, Debate and Music, has outlined the conditions that must be met, in order for Denmark to participate in Eurovision 2026: “DR supports ESC as a cultural event that has brought nations together through music since 1956. Our participation is conditional on there still being a strong international community, security in place and an apolitical framework around the competition.”
Lützhøft goes on to say that even if multiple countries withdraw from Eurovision, Denmark would still participate as DR still wants to be a part of it: “Our participation is neither a support for nor a protest against individual countries, but rather a desire to maintain communities across borders. In a time marked by unrest and division, it is worth reminding each other of the original purpose of competitions like ESC: to create a space where we can meet across differences and disagreements. ESC must be preserved as an apolitical community. DR wants to continue to be a part of this, and we have informed the EBU of this.”
In a follow-up interview with DR, Gustav Lützhøft, has given more insight into the conditions that the broadcaster says must be met, in order to maintain Denmark’s participation in the contest: “There must be a broad European community around the competition, security must be in place – that almost goes without saying – and Eurovision must be, as far as possible, an apolitical event free from political interference. If the three conditions are met, DR will be involved, as usual.”
When asked about Israel’s possible participation in Eurovision 2026, and thus, the possible withdrawal of several countries, Lützhøft maintains that DR’s participation in the contest is in support of a cross-cultural community across Europe, but that if anything changes, or if any of their conditions cannot be met, Denmark would have to re-consider their Eurovision participation: “It’s so tense at the moment that it’s something we’ll have to keep an eye on. When will it stop being a cultural event, and when will it become a purely political event? And if it does, I can’t see myself in it.”
“We are running on the condition that there is broad support from other European countries. And it is clear that if at some point we find ourselves in a situation where this is no longer the case, it will also have an impact on DR’s participation… If something changes significantly within one of the three things, it is clear that we will have to reconsider our participation, but for now it is important to state that we intend to stand…
…DR’s participation in Eurovision is not a support for any single country. It is a support for a cross-cultural community across Europe, which has existed for many, many years. What DR is concerned with is supporting democracy and cohesion in society, and we think Eurovision is a really, really good place to do that among all the other initiatives and measures we have. So that’s why we’re running… There are many things that divide us, and we want to make it clear that we want that unity. That is why we are saying loud and clear that we are running…
Multiple withdrawals ahead of Eurovision 2026
Denmark’s confirmation of Eurovision 2026 participation comes after a wave of countries have either confirmed their withdrawal, or cast their doubts, over their participation in Eurovision 2026, if Israel were to participate.
RTÉ (Ireland), AVROTROS (The Netherlands) and RTVE (Spain) have all confirmed that they will not participate in Eurovision 2026 if Israel is participating, with Ireland and Spain also confirming they would not even broadcast the contest. RTVSLO (Slovenia) and RÚV (Iceland) have hinted that they would be leaning more towards a withdrawal from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is participating.
In Belgium, political party CD&V have called on Belgian broadcaster RTBF to withdraw from Eurovision 2026, with a spokesperson for RTBF, Axelle Pollet, confirming that a final decision on participation or withdrawal will be made in December after the EBU general assembly meeting.
Over in Portugal, it has been reported that RTP will hold talks with the EBU on 25th September 2025, and that the broadcaster has not yet revealed their standpoint regarding Israel’s possible participation in Eurovision 2026. Despite this, RTP have confirmed Festival da Canção will go ahead next year, but with some changes being made to the format. One most notable change is the winner of the festival not automatically going to represent Portugal at Eurovision, and that participation will be optional for the winner.
Denmark were represented by Faroese-born singer Sissal and her song “Hallucination” at this years Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland. Sissal brought Denmark back to the Eurovision final for the first time since 2019, and went on to finish in 23rd place.
What do you think of DR’s statement regarding Eurovision 2026? How many countries do you think we will get confirmed for Eurovision 2026? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Photo credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
