As others boycott, Belgium confirms participation in Eurovision 2026

Belgium will participate in the next Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna in 2026, with French-language broadcaster RTBF agreeing to send the country’s contestant - while Dutch-language broadcaster VRT supports a boycott.

The news comes following a decision by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to allow Israel’s participation in the popular contest, which VRT, among other EBU members, opposes.

Broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands announced they would boycott the event. Iceland’s public broadcaster will decide on its participation next week.

The Belgian broadcaster in charge of Eurovision coverage - RTBF or VRT - alternates each year, and RTBF is responsible for the organisation of the 2026 broadcast.

VRT said it regrets the decision to allow Israel’s participation and will continue to advocate within the EBU for a clearer commitment to peace, human rights and compassion, though it will nevertheless broadcast the contest.

A number of Belgian trade unions and political parties also expressed disappointment in RTBF’s decision to send a candidate, with Flemish MP Jos D'Haese (PVDA) calling it "boundless hypocrisy".

“Russia was excluded just one day after the start of the war in Ukraine, but even after two years of genocide in Gaza, with bombings that continue, the EBU continues to treat Israel as if nothing is wrong,” D'Haese said.

“Our country has only one option left: to leave Eurovision, just like the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Ireland. If we don't draw a line here, when will we?”

Flemish MP Bram Jaques (Groen) agreed, and called on VRT to back up its stance by not broadcasting the competition.

“If genocide is not enough to exclude a country, what is?” Jaques said. “The Eurovision Song Contest gives Israel a platform in front of millions of viewers to culturally whitewash its genocide. Belgium can and must never be part of that.”

VRT’s own trade union opposes Belgian participation and echoed calls for the broadcaster to not air the show. They especially criticised the EBU’s decision to not hold a formal vote on Israel’s participation.

“This is democracy destroying itself – the EBU has completely lost sight of what it stands for,” the ACOD-VRT union said.

“The vote should not have been about changing the rules or the voting procedure, but about the essence. This is about human rights, about the norms and values of democracy and the role of public broadcasters in the world.

"Our position is clear: as long as Israel is allowed to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest without explanation, without criticism and without conditions, the contest should not be broadcast on VRT."

RTBF said it will continue to monitor the situation in Gaza closely and wants to draw extra attention to the challenges and tragedies taking place there during the singing competition and the period surrounding it.

The broadcaster especially emphasised the war’s effect on journalists, saying that almost 250 journalists have been killed in Gaza and severe restrictions on access to the area are hindering independent and pluralistic work.

“No cultural event and no international gathering can overshadow the need to protect citizens and reporters in conflict zones and conceal the dramatic and complex reality of those areas,” RTBF chief executive Jean-Paul Philippot wrote in a letter to the EBU.

Philippot said that Belgium’s participation in Eurovision is linked to a clear position, in which he "denounces the obstacles to freedom of information, demands the protection of citizens and journalists and calls for guarantees for their safety on the ground".

Jacqueline Galant (MR), the Francophone minister for media, voiced support for RTBF’s decision to not join the boycott.

“I welcome the broadcaster's decision, which is in line with the broad democratic majority within the EBU,” said Galant.