It has been officially confirmed that Ireland will not participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Earlier this year, a statement was released that said Ireland would not take part in the annual competition if Israel was allowed to enter.
There had been reports that there would be a vote on whether Israel should be allowed to continue in the singing contest. However, EBU members meeting at the Winter General Assembly in Geneva decided not to call a vote on the country’s participation.
RTÉ shared a statement that read: “Following today’s EBU Winter General Assembly in Geneva at which Israel’s participation in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed, RTÉ’s position remains unchanged. RTÉ will not participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, nor will RTÉ broadcast the competition.
“RTÉ feels that Ireland’s participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk. RTÉ remains deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and the continued denial of access to international journalists to the territory.”
Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE has also said it will not participate in Eurovision 2026. Spain is one of Eurovision’s “Big Five” that contribute financially to the competition.
The Netherlands and Slovenia will also boycott the competition.
Iceland had threatened to boycott the competition earlier this year and has said it will reconsider its postition on the competition.
