The Chairman of the Icelandic broadcaster has revealed that the Nordic members of the European Broadcasting Union will be meeting the organisation to discuss the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna.
Writing in Vísir, Stefán Jón Hafstein, the Chairman of the Board of RÚV, has stated that Nordic broadcasters will meet in Iceland to discuss the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. In an op-ed in Vísir, Mr Hafstein states that the Nordic member broadcasters of the European Broadcasting Union will meet in Reykjavík with a representative of the EBU to discuss the competition, with the EBU representative aiming to understand the thoughts of broadcasters. The exact date of the meeting has not been confirmed, but it will be “in the coming days”.
The Nordic broadcasters have a variety of views on whether Israel should be allowed to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and if they would continue to compete, should Israel be approved by a majority of EBU members to compete in Vienna. Some Nordic members have also raised concerns regarding voting and security at the competition following the 2025 contest.
🇩🇰 Denmark – DR has stated that it will not vote against Israel continuing to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest “as long as they comply with the rules and regulations.” They added in a statement that “DR’s participation in the ESC remains conditional on there being a strong international community, control over security and an apolitical framework around the competition.”
🇫🇮 Finland – Yle has yet to decide whether they will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. In May, Yle confirmed it would raise the issue of voting at the Eurovision Song Contest with the European Broadcasting Union.
🇮🇸 Iceland – RÚV will determine its position on whether to vote for or against Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2026 at the end of this month. The Chairman of the Broadcaster has previously stated that Iceland may choose to withdraw should Israel be allowed to compete.
🇳🇴 Norway – NRK has confirmed it has no plans to boycott Eurovision 2026 should Israel be allowed to compete. NRK has made it clear that it wants to remain an active part of the competition and advocate for change to the contest from within after raising concerns with the EBU.
🇸🇪 Sweden – In a statement at the end of September, SVT explained that its participation “is conditional on the basic conditions being in place.” It does not plan to withdraw from the contest should Israel be allowed to compete.
All full members of the European Broadcasting Union will vote in November to determine whether Israel will be able to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. An extraordinary General Assembly will be held, with Israel’s participation in the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, determined by a simple majority of members either voting for or against Israel being allowed to compete in the contest.
Image Source: Corinne Cumming/EBU | Source: Vísir
