Flemish broadcaster VRT has confirmed that it will not send a full commentary delegation to Vienna for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, opting instead to cover the event from Belgium.
Coverage from Belgium
Long-time commentator Peter Van de Veire, who has guided Flemish viewers through the contest since 2014, will deliver his commentary live from VRT studios in Brussels rather than from the host city.
VRT explained:
“With this approach, VRT wants to take on its role in a democratic society: not as a gatekeeper who decides what the public can or cannot see, but as a reliable guide who helps understand what is going on, why it is sensitive and what questions it raises.
VRT has also stated that it believes the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has not sufficiently addressed concerns raised by several broadcasters regarding the current situation surrounding the contest.
Unions demand withdrawal
Belgium’s public broadcasters are facing growing pressure over their involvement in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, after trade unions representing staff at VRT and RTBF called for a boycott of the event. The protest forms part of a wider movement among cultural organisations and public media workers across Europe calling for stronger action from broadcasters regarding the contest’s political controversies.
Although Belgium will participate with ESSYLA and her song “Dancing on the Ice”
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
Photo credits : VRT
Euan T