Iceland’s national broadcaster RÚV has announced that the submission deadline for Söngvakeppnin 2026 will be postponed until the EBU formally votes on Israel’s participation in Eurovision.
Uncertainty ahead
In a statement published via Instagram, RÚV explained that they will announce a new closing date later, pending the outcome of that EBU vote.
The broadcaster further stated that it could withdraw from the 2026 contest if Israel is ultimately allowed to compete. If RÚV does withdraw, it would join a handful of other national broadcasters that have expressed similar concerns.
About Söngvakeppnin
Usually one of the later national finals in the calendar, Iceland’s selection Söngvakeppnin has taken place since 1981 and, since 2006, has been in a format of semi-finals leading towards a final. Under current competition rules, all semi-final songs must be in Icelandic, with the option to translate the song to English should they reach the final. Since the current rules were adopted in 2015, all but two winners of the selection have chosen to do this.
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.
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News Source: RÚV
Photo Credit: Alma Bengtsson/EBU
Euan T