The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Assembly, held these days in Geneva, recently confirmed this Israel will participate in Eurovision 2026. The resolution was adopted after an internal vote that left member states deeply divided (738 votes in favor and 264 votes in favour). … Against and 120 abstentions), determines the final map of the festival… at least for the time being. Countries such as Germany, Italy and Austria will remain in the competition, while Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands – as announced – will exit the version in protest. The Netherlands was the first country to reconfirm this decision minutes after the result, followed by Spain through an official statement from RTVE. In the Spanish case, the departure was already early: Spain, as recently reported, will not attend the competition and will not broadcast the semi-finals or the final, in compliance with the line set by RTVE and ratified internally in recent days.
At the meeting, participants would have received two votes. The first was about accepting or not accepting the new regulations amended by the European Broadcasting Union. If the vote is in favor of this list, the second vote, which relates to Israel’s participation or not, will not be held. After the result of the first vote on the Eurovision rules, with 738 votes in favour, 264 against and 120 abstentions, they did not have to hold the second vote in which Israel’s participation or not was evaluated. As a result of the first, it is confirmed that Israel’s participation is a reality.
But this vote does not come out of nowhere. It is the temporary result of months of accumulated tension within the EBU, which was already recognized in November a “Strong internal fracture” By calling – and then canceling – a specific extraordinary assembly to discuss the situation in Israel. The atmosphere had been turbulent for some time, intensifying after RTVE, Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Iceland began publicly questioning the presence of the Israeli delegation at the festival. In Spain, José Pablo López actually warned last week while appearing before the RTVE oversight committee in Congress: “We adhere to the same position for two reasons: because of the genocide committed in Gaza and that the festival is a competition but not human rights,” reaffirming the institution’s central argument.
During today’s meeting, Lopez himself confirmed through his social networks the following: “The management of the European Broadcasting Union and Eurovision will expose the organization to the greatest internal tension in its history today. “We should never have gotten to this point.” Meanwhile, tensions have been rising since the last edition, which was marked by official complaints from the Israeli public (KAN). After Spanish commentators’ references to the Gaza War and Israel’s stunning leap in television broadcasting, which led to RTVE broadcasting To request an independent audit. All of this led to the critical situation that is taking shape today in Geneva.
The management of the EBU and Eurovision today will subject the organization to the greatest internal tension in its history. It should never get to this point.
The sanctions imposed on Israel for its repeated non-compliance at Eurovision should have been approved at the executive level…
– Jose Pablo Lopez (@Josepablo_ls) December 4, 2025
With Israel’s confirmation, Spain is operationalizing its decision to abandon Eurovision 2026. However, one element remains open: the European Broadcasting Union maintains a maximum deadline of December 10 for each country to officially report on its participation. Although the RTVE has been robust, this window keeps minimal the possibility of a shift if circumstances change, especially since the institution has been demanding a stronger response from the European body for months.
Accumulated tension
However, after today’s vote, the position remains the same: Israel’s participation means that Spain will not attend or broadcast the festival. This withdrawal also has a domino effect: four other countries have also decided to confirm their absence, creating a significantly reduced Eurovision 2026 map. This effect can Influencing the economic side and internal narrative of the organization, Who will have to manage the simultaneous loss of several active members in the great Eurovision tradition.
In recent months, the European Broadcasting Union has tried to stem this crisis through a package of regulatory amendments aimed at combating suspicions of foreign manipulation and influence, which Israel would have practiced, according to RTVE, in at least the last two editions. The organization announced that the number of television broadcasts per viewer will be reduced from 20 to 10. Restore semifinal jury votes and enhance systems for detecting fraudulent or coordinated voting. RTVE expressed appreciation for these changes, but Lopez was emphatic in noting that “measures are necessary but not sufficient.” Moreover, he insisted on showing that he “tried to influence the outcome at least in the last two years and was not punished. Any other country that did so would have been stopped and punished.”
Despite everything, the EBU finally chose to allow Israel’s participation, which is a gesture for that This means that many delegations refuse to correct the internal imbalances in the voting system. For Spain, this is an unambiguous signal that the organization is not willing to take more forceful action, so withdrawal becomes a natural consequence of inaction.
The Big Five
Spain’s potential departure also opens up an unprecedented scenario for the Big Five. As stipulated in the regulations, the prolonged absence of a country means its automatic exclusion from the group of the five largest economic contributors. Spain is thus excluded from this privileged bloc, which means giving up its direct-to-final pass, its specific contribution to the festival and the strategic rank that this status gives within the EBU. However, RTVE will remain a full member of the organisation, paying the overhead fee which provides access to the European news network and shared sports rights. What has been suppressed is only his extraordinary contribution to Eurovision, which is unprecedented.
The economic balance of the competition may be significantly affected by: Financing the five major countries is considered one of the pillars of the budget. The departure from Spain represents a symbolic and financial blow to the festival. The decision taken today in Geneva not only represents the path towards the 2026 edition, but also leaves the European Union with an unprecedented challenge: rebuilding internal unity – or what remains of it – at a time of greatest fragility.