Which countries are boycotting the song contest and can it survive?

Thursday marked the biggest crisis in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest.

four countries withdraw There may be more to come regarding Israel’s continued participation in the competition.

The boycott includes Ireland, which has won seven times – a figure second only to Sweden’s – and the Netherlands, which has won five times.

Spain and Slovenia, one of the competition’s biggest financial backers, were also eliminated.

The row exposed deep rifts within the Eurovision family. The situation has been looming for years due to rising tensions over Israel’s behavior during the Gaza war.

Israel came first in this year’s public vote, finishing second after taking into account the jury vote, and the voting and campaign process also raised eyebrows.

Israel, meanwhile, called the decision to retain its qualification a “victory” over critics who sought to silence it and spread hatred.

Thursday’s summit with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) highlighted divisions within the Eurovision family.

There is no direct vote on Israel’s place in the Eurovision Song Contest, but the country’s future participation is actually tied to a vote among broadcasters Proposed new rules For electioneering and public voting.

65% of EBU members voted in favor of the change. Ten percent abstained.

Roland Weissmann, director of public broadcaster ORF in Austria, next year’s host country, said the discussions were intense but a fair process.

“We argued, we listened to other people’s arguments and then we had a secret ballot,” he told BBC World Service. “This is democracy, the majority of the population voted for new, stricter rules through a song contest.”

The result also meant Israel was allowed to compete, but triggered the withdrawal of other countries.

Spain believes that this crisis can be avoided. “It should not have come to this at all,” the president of RTVE broadcaster angrily posted on social media ahead of Thursday’s summit.

José Pablo Lopez says he has lost confidence in Eurovision organizers, saying they are influenced by “political and commercial interests”.

He added that organizers should address Israel’s alleged manipulation of public votes, which should lead to “executive-level” sanctions, rather than asking EBU members to decide on any consequences.

Israel denies trying to influence voting in the competition and says its campaign is acceptable within Eurovision rules.

Other countries that may join the boycott include Iceland, which said it would not confirm its participation until a board meeting next week.

On Friday, Belgium and Sweden had also considered their positions and confirmed they would remain in the competition.

Finland said its participation in Eurovision was conditional on securing a “substantial” number of other participants, adding: “The costs for participating organizations have to increase reasonably.”

Eurovision writer and academic Dean Vuletic told BBC Radio 4’s Today program on Friday: “The next few weeks are going to be intense as countries confirm whether they will take part in next year’s Eurovision.

“But I think we’ll see more boycotts.”

The deadline for countries to confirm their participation is Wednesday 10 December.

Amid all the drama, a small detail in the EBU press release reveals why many countries are keen to get Israeli broadcaster Kan into the fray.

In a “wide-ranging discussion”, other broadcasters “took the opportunity to highlight the importance of protecting the independence of public service media and freedom of press reporting, particularly in conflict areas such as Gaza,” the report said.

That’s because Kan is independent of the Israeli government and has often been at odds with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“The public broadcaster is involved, not the state,” said ORF’s Mr Weisman. “This is not the Israeli government, this is the public broadcaster.”

Kan’s links to the Eurovision Song Contest are thought to have protected it from the threat of closure or cuts – as the government recognizes the positive PR power of participating in the competition.

If Israel is excluded on Thursday, the country’s press freedom could be threatened in the future.

The impact on funding will be a key issue for organizers. Spain was one of the “top five” countries that automatically qualified for the finals due to their significant financial contribution to hosting the tournament.

According to figures published by Spanish broadcaster RTVE, this figure has ranged between 334,000 euros and 348,000 euros in recent years.

Other countries will now have to bear the cost – although the cost is likely to be shared among all rivals, with France, Germany, Italy and the UK bearing the lion’s share.

If other countries withdraw, costs may rise for each competing country.

“Losing some of the biggest financial donors does have a huge impact, but also has knock-on effects on some of the smaller countries,” said Eurovision scholar Jesse Garnier of the University of Southern Queensland.

“So that might mean we might have a smaller show (in 2026), unless the Austrian broadcaster can raise more cash to ensure it remains a huge event.”

What this all means is that the game is seriously hurt, but the damage isn’t fatal…yet.

Thursday was “a very shocking day in Eurovision history,” according to Callum Rowe of the Journey to Europe podcast.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live that fans were “equally angry and shocked by what happened”.

“We are losing countries that have a great history of competing.”

Luo said the four boycotting countries would not change their minds before next May’s tournament in Vienna.

“Whether they will change their mind about 2027 is another question. If they see Israel not doing well in Eurovision 2026, they might think, oh, well, the rule change has served their purpose. But I think it’s hard to say at the moment.”

Eurovision director Martin Green estimates that 35 countries will still participate in Vienna next year.

The loss of four participants is balanced by the return of three more – Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria – who have been absent from the competition in the past few years.

The row will cast a long shadow over next year’s game, and likely for years to come.

With much of the music industry supporting the Palestinian cause, it may be harder than usual to find artists willing to share the stage with Israel.

The competition did not live up to its slogan – “Music Unites”.

But Mr Weissman insisted he did not think the boycott would harm the Eurovision Song Contest, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2026.

“It was built 10 years after the Second World War – united through music – and that’s what it’s all about.

“Everywhere in the world we are facing difficult situations of crisis (and) war, and now we have a responsibility to stay connected, listen to each other, argue – and then find democratic ways to deal with it.”

However, it is difficult to see how the ties severed on Thursday can be stitched back together.