It is not clear if Iceland will participate in Eurovision 2026 or not.
The Board of Directors at Icelandic broadcaster RÚV have made reservations about the country’s particpation in Eurovision next year, and at the present time, it is not clear whether Iceland will be present at Eurovision 2026 or not. This has been confirmed by the Chairman of the Board in an interview with Vísir.
The reason that the Icelandic broadcaster is unsure if Iceland will participate in Eurovision 2026 or not is due to Israel’s participation in the contest. It is reported that a final decision on Iceland’s participation in Eurovision 2026 will be made once a final decision has been made on Israel’s Eurovision participation.
"There was a general meeting at the European Broadcasting Union, EBU, in July and there were voices of criticism, including from us, about Israel being allowed to participate. It was decided at that meeting to begin a kind of consultation process between the television stations."
Despite no vote being taken, and no decision being made, at the general meeting, it was concluded that a discussion on this matter needs to take place.
"A diplomat was appointed to talk to the stations. When it became clear now that the deadline for notification of participation was about to expire next year, we said no, we are not ready for that unless there is a reservation. And the reservation is that this consultation process on Israel will be acceptable, will lead to an acceptable result for us."
Söngvakeppnin continues in 2026
Despite Iceland being unsure on whether or not they will participate in Eurovision 2026, the broadcaster has confirmed that they will still be going ahead with Söngvakeppnin, but have made it clear that winning the show won’t automatically grant Eurovision 2026 participation, in the event that Iceland withdraws from the contest.
"Now I know that many people are thinking about whether they want to include Israel in the competition or not, and they don't have to announce their participation until December. But we will advertise for Icelandic participants in the Song Contest, but with the reservation of participating in Eurovision. We just don't know if that will happen."
Iceland not alone in doubtful Eurovision participation
Iceland is not the only country to be doubting their Eurovision 2026 participation. Just a few days ago, the Slovenian broadcaster stated that they were unsure if the country would be participating in Eurovision next year, with the two main reasons being financial issues and Israel’s participation.
Meanwhile, over in The Netherlands, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS are still in discussions with the EBU regarding the country’s participation in Eurovision 2026, with concerns over future Eurovision participation being brought up after the 2025 final in Switzerland:
“AVROTROS and NPO strong attach great importance to the apolitical and binding value of the Eurovision Song Contest. However, we see that the event is increasingly influenced by social and geopolitical pressures. srael’s participation confronts us with the question of the extent to which the Eurovision Song Contest still actually functions as an apolitical, connecting and cultural event. We want to make that question, together with other countries, discussable within the EBU.”
VÆB won Söngvakeppnin 2025 and went on to represent Iceland at Eurovision this year in Switzerland with their song “Róa” (Row). They brought Iceland back to the Eurovision final for the first time since 2o22, where they finished the night in 25th place.
What are your thoughts on Iceland’s potential withdrawal from Eurovision 2026? Do you think the country will withdraw the contest? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Photo credit: Alma Bengtsson / EBU
Source: Vísir
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