Iceland becomes fifth country to pull out of Eurovision
It's over Israel being allowed to participate despite the war in Gaza
Last updated 10th Dec 2025
Iceland has confirmed it'll boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest - due to Israel's participation.
The RUV board met on Wednesday at the broadcaster's Reykjavik headquarters to discuss Iceland's position on Eurovision 2026 participation.
The announcement follows in the footsteps of Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia who said they were pulling out of the singing competition as a result of Israel's participation.
Members attended a European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly in Geneva earlier this month, which reportedly saw a majority of members vote against a proposal to hold a vote to ban Israel from competing.
Stefan Eiriksson, director-general of broadcasting at RUV said: "There is no peace or joy connected to this contest as things stand now.
"On that basis, first and foremost, we are stepping back while the situation is as it is."
Wednesday is the final day for members to confirm their participation for the 2026 contest with the full list of participating broadcasters to be published early next week.
Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest said: "We respect the decision of all broadcasters who have chosen not to participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest and hope to welcome them back soon."
Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but Israel has continued to compete for the past couple of years despite disputes.
Next year's song contest will take place in Vienna in May.