According to VRT News, Belgium’s broadcaster RTBF will confirm in December whether the country will take part in Eurovision 2026 if Israel remains in the competition.
RTBF to continue preparations
Despite the uncertainty, RTBF has confirmed that the selection process for Belgium’s candidate is ongoing. The broadcaster will make a final decision after the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU) General Assembly in December, when Israel’s participation will be formally addressed.
VRT shows support for boycott countries
Meanwhile, VRT, Belgium’s Dutch-speaking public broadcaster, issued a statement supporting the stance of countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, which have announced they will not take part if Israel remains in the Contest.
However, VRT also stressed that responsibility for Belgium’s entry lies with RTBF in 2026. The statement added that VRT “expects a strong signal” from the EBU and reserves the right not to broadcast the Contest if that signal is not sufficient.
Broadcasters have until mid-December to confirm their participation in Eurovision 2026, which will take place in Vienna. Belgium’s final decision now rests with RTBF.
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 News
Photo credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Rory Gannon