The vote on Israel’s participation in November has been cancelled, and there apparently won’t be a vote at the regular meeting in December either.
Frankly, was gonna come here yesterday and asked whether it would go ahead in light of recent developments.
The EBU was on the same wavelength as me.
Let’s just go all-in the other direction and welcome Israel back with open arms, because… why not?
The wild voting block and irregularities that are distorting the competition?
Sure, kick them out on that premise. I support that cause.
Not the political cause that was supposed to be central to the upcoming vote. It’s basically a coin flip between alienating five countries, or one/two of EBU’s biggest financial backers.
It’d have been a nightmare.
The Netherlands have said they are pulling out if Israel is there regardless of a peace deal being reached due to the voting irregularities as well as the killing of journalists. So the EBU is definitely losing them for next year, we will see if others like Spain/Ireland/Slovenia will follow.
Romania is returning to Eurovision in 2026. They last competed in 2023.
And it looks like Bulgaria is also rejoining Eurovision, after 3 years of not competing.
I have a feeling all these eastern countries (Moldova may also be coming back, they’ve announced a Press Conference for 7pm Monday our time) are only joining to replace all the western and northern countries that will leave if Israel stays.
This has now been confirmed.
Canada might be calling… The Carney government teased in the latest budget that they’re working with CBC to enter the contest.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/eurovision-fed-budget-9.6968399
And the EBU has since confirmed they are in early discussions for them to join
So if this happens, they’ll be taking our guest spot (are we still techincally guests?). Very odd choice, as I don’t think Eurosong has ever been shown in Canada.
Could Celine Dion be a reason for Canada to enter Eurovision?
No I think since 2024 we have had a permanent spot in ESC. That’s why it took so long for our song to be revealed because they were in agreement talks for quite while IIRC.
Canada has shown Eurovision in previous years sporadically through the years on Omni Television and OutTV.
We had a 5-year participation deal that lapsed in 2024, not too sure whether it was renewed but it seems like it has been..
First artist confirmed for 2026.
https://eurovision.tv/story/antigoni-represent-cyprus-vienna-2026
The EBU have announced the juries will be reinstated in the Eurovision Semi Finals, once again meaning the finalists will be chosen with a 50/50 public vote split.
New rules also ‘discourage disproportionate promotion’ and reduce number of votes per viewer from 20 to 10.
EBU Announces Changes to Eurovision Song Contest Voting Rules to Strengthen Trust and Transparency
- EBU unveils major overhaul of Eurovision Song Contest voting framework
- New measures for 2026 build on extensive Member consultation and reinforce trust in the world’s largest live music event
- Stronger limits on promotion to curb disproportionate third-party influence, including government-backed campaigns.
- Voting cap halved for 2026, encouraging fans to spread support across more entries.
- Professional juries return to Semi-Finals with expanded, more diverse panels including young jurors aged 18–25.
- Enhanced technical safeguards to detect and block coordinated or fraudulent voting activity.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has announced a series of important updates to the voting framework for the Eurovision Song Contest designed to strengthen trust, transparency and audience engagement.
The changes follow an extensive consultation exercise with EBU Members following the 2025 Contest. An independent advisor, commissioned by the EBU’s Executive Board, led an in-depth review of participation, engaging closely with Directors General from participating broadcasters and other global event organizers. Their recommendations aligned with feedback from the Heads of Delegation and have informed measures to further strengthen the Contest’s voting framework.
“We’ve listened and we’ve acted”, said Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest.
“The neutrality and integrity of the Eurovision Song Contest is of paramount importance to the EBU, its Members, and all our audiences. It is essential that the fairness of the Contest is always protected.
“We are taking clear and decisive steps to ensure the contest remains a celebration of music and unity. The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized”.
“Alongside the changes we are announcing today, we will also strengthen enforcement of our existing rules to prevent any misuse of the Contest for example through song lyrics or staging. And we will work closely with Members to ensure they fully understand and are also accountable for upholding the rules and values that define the Song Contest.”