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Spain, Slovenia and Ireland Broadcasters to Boycott Eurovision 2026
The national broadcasters of Spain, Slovenia and Ireland have announced they will not participate in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The decision removes three countries from the annual competition organized by the European Broadcasting Union. No reasons for the boycott were stated in the initial report.
May 11, 7:25 AM·1m read3 sources
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The announcement means the three countries will sit out the event scheduled for later this year. The competition is an annual international song contest that features entries from dozens of nations across Europe and beyond. Participation in Eurovision is managed at the broadcaster level in each country.
The decision by these three broadcasters removes their respective nations from both the qualifying rounds and the grand final.
Eurovision has run annually since 1956 with varying numbers of participating countries each year. Broadcasters submit entries on behalf of their nations and cover the associated costs and organizational requirements. A boycott by multiple broadcasters in the same year is uncommon.
The absence of entries from Spain, Slovenia and Ireland will reduce the total number of competing songs. Spain has historically been one of the contest's more frequent participants and has hosted the event on multiple occasions in past decades.
It remains unclear whether the broadcasters' decision is permanent or limited to the 2026 contest. The three countries could potentially return in future editions depending on internal policy reviews. Organizers typically finalize the list of participating countries several months before the event.
The boycott leaves open slots that could be filled by other nations or result in a smaller overall field for the 2026 competition.
