Austria says it will refuse to host 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel frozen out

Austrian officials have said the country will refuse to host the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is boycotted from the event.

Chancellor Christian Stocker and secretary general of the ruling Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) Alexander Pröll made the announcement on Wednesday, the website Eurovision Fun reported.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body responsible for the annual music competition, said that its general assembly will vote in November on whether Israel can participate.

There has been pressure to freeze Israel out of the contest because of the war in Gaza and the spiralling humanitarian crisis in the Strip.

Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland and Slovenia have all said they will refuse to send competitors to the event if Israel is permitted to take part.

Spains decision is particularly significant because of its role as one of Eurovision's "big five" sponsors, alongside France, German, Italy and the United Kingdom.

According to the Israeli news portal Ynet in September, the EBU "unofficially" told Israeli representatives that they need to temporarily withdraw from the competition.

Alternatively, if Israel wishes to remain in the contest, they need to perform under a neutral flag, similar to the approach taken by Russian athletes at the Olympic Games.

However, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday that Germany would withdraw from the contest if Israel is prevented from competing, saying "Israel has a place there." 

Austria is due to be host country for the 2026 contest after its entrant, JJ, won last year's event with the song "Wasted Love."

But refusing to host this late in the day could see the national broadcaster, ORF, slapped with a penalty fee of up to €40 million.

Israel has been a participant in Eurovision, established after World War II to provide a forum for peaceful competition among nations, since 1973.

As calls grew to remove Israel from the contest in 2024 and 2025 due to the Gaza war, the EBU said that Eurovision is not a competition between governments, but between public broadcasters.

It said that Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, had not violated any rules to warrant being frozen out of Eurovision.

In the case that the winning country is unwilling or unable to host the contest, the BBC is regarded as the unofficial default broadcaster.