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Eurovision 2026 Participation Trends
Comparison of participating countries over recent years showing the decline in 2026.
Primary Sources
How Israel came second at Eurovision again despite boycotts over Gaza ...
Israel has finished second at the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row, once again powered by a massive public televote, despite widespread protests, broadcaster boycotts and growing scrutiny over the war in Gaza.This year’s contest, held in Vienna, was won by Bulgaria for the first time, with singer Dara taking the trophy with her dance anthem Bangaranga. However, much of the discussion surrounding the event focused less on the music and more on Israel’s participation amid the continuing war in Gaza. Public broadcasters in Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia boycotted the competition in protest against Israel’s inclusion. Their withdrawal reduced the number of participating countries to 35 – the contest’s lowest total since 2003. Israeli contestant Noam Bettan was earlier warned for courting votes too aggressively. AFPInfoEurovision’s results are decided through a split voting system. Half of each participating country’s score comes from a professional five-member music jury, while the other half comes from viewers voting at home through phone calls, text messages and the Eurovision app. Each country awards points separately for jury and public votes, with the audience vote often dramatically reshaping the leader board during the live final.Ahead of the finals, criticism intensified after allegations that Israeli-linked promotional campaigns had aggressively mobilised public votes in previous years. Israeli public broadcaster Kan received a formal warning from organisers over videos posted online in which contestant Noam Bettan courted votes too aggressively, after a similar controversy involving Israel last year. Kan eventually took the videos down.The EBU also tightened voting rules and limiting the number of public votes per person to 10. Countries are not allowed to vote for themselves.Participants waving Palestinian flags protest Israel's participation at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. AFPInfoIn a recent interview with Reuters, Eurovision director Martin Green acknowledged “disproportionate marketing” had fuelled the change in rules. “We saw some activity last year, which we could describe as disproportionate marketing and promotional activity, that we felt was out of synch with the nature of the show, so we put some rules in about that,” Green said.The divisions had been building for months. Several broadcasters and artists had urged contest organiser, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel fro...
Israel comes second at Eurovision amid boycotts and backlash | AJ
Bulgaria has won Eurovision for the first time, pushing Israel into second place amid boycotts and street protests over Israel's wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. The result reignited debate over ...
Bulgaria wins Eurovision Song Contest, Israel comes second again
11 hours ago ... VIENNA, May 16 (Reuters) - Bulgaria won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time on Saturday in a final overshadowed by five countries' boycott over Gaza, ...
Bulgaria wins Eurovision for first time; Israel comes second amid ...
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time as Israel, whose participation had triggered a boycott from five countries and protests over its genocidal war against Palestinians ...
