Icelandic broadcaster RÚV has confirmed that Iceland may withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to compete at the Contest.
Iceland “weighing up options”
In an interview with newspaper Vísir, the chairman of RÚV’s board of directors confirmed that a full decision on participation at Eurovision 2026 has not been made. This contradicted initial reports of confirmation, using Söngvakeppnin as its national selection.
Speaking on the disagreements on Israeli participation, Stefán Jón Hafstein explained:
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.
Hafstein went on to say that Iceland was one of several broadcasters who demanded the deadline for participation be pushed back to December. This would be done so that they could make a full decision on participation once a decision on Israel’s presence at the Contest was fully voted on.
Participation is conditional
He added that there should be no confusion on the matter that Icelandic participation in Eurovision is conditional. Once a final decision has been made by EBU broadcasters on Israeli participation, RÚV will signal its final decision.
RÚV’s Director-General Stefán Eiríksson said in a radio interview:
I think it is likely that if there is no change in EBU’s position and it does not respond to these voices of concern coming from us, from Spain and Slovenia and others, then that will call for reactions from these broadcasters. But let’s just wait and see.
Iceland is not the only country to threaten its withdrawal from Eurovision 2026. Last week, Slovenian broadcaster RTV SLO signalled it would withdraw from the Contest should Israel be allowed to compete. This came despite the EBU saying that no broadcaster has formally objected to Israeli participation. A final decision on Israel’s Eurovision presence will be made by the end of the year.
Iceland’s Eurovision journey
Iceland made its debut on the Eurovision stage in 1986, finishing 16th with the song “Gleðibankinn” (Bank of Fun) by ICY. In their 35 appearances, Iceland has finished in top 10 an impressive 7 times. Their best result to date is second place, which they have achieved twice. The first time was in 1999, where Selma Björnsdóttir received 146 points for her performance of “All Out of Luck”. The second time was in 2009, with Yohanna singing “Is It True” and receiving 218 points.
VÆB represented Iceland in Basel in 2025 with their song “RÓA”. The duo qualified for the final, bringing Iceland back into the final for the first time since 2022. In the final, they would eventually finish in 25th place with 33 points; all of these were awarded by the televote.
What do you make of Iceland’s potential withdrawal? Do you think the EBU will act? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: Vísir / RÚV
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Tim J