The official list of participants for Eurovision 2026 was released on Monday, December 15th. The result: 35 countries will be represented in Vienna next May, one of the lowest participation levels seen in over twenty years. This figure contrasts sharply with the organizers' initial ambitions and reflects a particularly tense political and media climate surrounding the contest.
Confirmed boycotts and targeted returns
According to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), 35 broadcasters have confirmed their participation in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest, a figure officially validated on December 15. Five countries, however, have withdrawn following the decision to keep Israel in the competition: Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland. According to AFP, these withdrawals are part of a protest movement against the participation of the Israeli broadcaster KAN, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.
Conversely, three countries are making their return after an absence of one or more years: Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova, as confirmed by the EBU in its official statement. The total number of participants remains lower than that of the 2025 edition, which had 37, and one has to go back to 2003 to find such a small field.
An anniversary edition under high surveillance
This drop in participation comes as Eurovision prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary. Faced with criticism regarding the fairness of the vote and accusations of excessive lobbying in previous editions, the EBU has announced a reform of the voting system. According to AFP, professional juries will return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2022, with expanded panels and stricter controls on public votes to detect any coordinated or fraudulent practices.
The format remains classic: two semi-finals bringing together 30 countries, and a final with 20 songs, to which will be added the automatically qualified candidates. In 2026, there will be five: Austria, the host country, as well as France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, the traditional "Big 5" being reduced to four after the withdrawal of Spain.
Also noteworthy is the absence of Canada, despite its inclusion in a federal budget document published in early November. Its participation, considered at one point, was ultimately not confirmed for this edition.
