Wallonia’s public broadcaster RTBF has not officially confirmed Belgium’s involvement in Eurovision 2026. The decision remains under discussion, according to a spokesperson speaking to VRTNWS.
RTBF is cautious amid broadcaster uncertainty
RTBF is currently debating its participation, citing ongoing concerns about the voting system and transparency in recent editions. The broadcaster has pledged to work with the EBU on potential reforms before making a final commitment.
Numerous discussions reportedly took place before and after this year’s contest. The EBU is actively engaging with its members, including RTBF and VRT, to address these concerns. Although the selection process is already underway, RTBF has not officially confirmed its involvement, highlighting the importance of the contest to the Belgian public and the production demands it entails.
It appears RTBF wishes to maintain pressure on the EBU to resolve its transparency issues. The Eurovision Song Contest is currently facing criticism, partly due to Israel’s controversial participation and widespread doubts over voting fairness. Belgium is among several countries now openly questioning the future of the competition.
Belgian televoting & Israel’s role
Additional context surrounding the issue involves Belgium’s televoting results from the Eurovision 2025 contest. Nearly a quarter of all public votes from Belgium went to Israel’s entry. Belgium even awarded its maximum 12 points to Israel during the live show. VRT, which initially questioned the result, was granted access to the voting breakdown. Spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght confirmed that 220,554 Belgian votes were cast, with 698,000 people watching the final. “So there are a lot of votes in proportion to the number of viewers,” she noted.
However, due to EBU regulations, VRT is not permitted to release the exact number of votes for each country. Italy’s RAI is the only broadcaster currently allowed to do so, as national laws require it to disclose vote data.
Belgium’s Eurovision journey
Belgium was one of the debutant countries at the beginning of the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1956. For the first edition, countries could submit two songs, and for Belgium that year, ‘Messieurs les noyès de la Seine’ by Fud Leclerc and ‘Le plus beau jour de ma vie’ by Mony Marc represented the nation. To this day, we do not know the final results of Eurovision 1956. Belgium have taken part in 64 Eurovision Song Contests; however, they have only ever won once: in 1986 with Sandra Kim and the song ‘J’amie la vie’, scoring 176 points.
Belgium chose Red Sebastian to represent the nation with “Strobe Lights” in 2025. Competing in the first semi-final, Belgium scored 23 points, placing fourteenth and ultimately missing out on the Grand Final for the second year in a row.
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News Source: vrt.be
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
Silvia Stifini