Eurovision Changes Rules to Bar Countries in Armed Conflict from Hosting
10 sources across 9 countries
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- Politico Europe
- CNN Brasil
- South China Morning Post
- Haaretz
- ANSA
- NRC
- The Guardian
- Al-Monitor
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has updated the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest to prevent countries involved in armed conflict or sensitive geopolitical situations from hosting the event. Under the new regulations, a winning broadcaster is automatically ineligible to host if a conflict or geopolitical situation materially affects the security, safety, or stability of the state or its immediate region. The EBU may commission an independent security assessment to determine if a winner can safely host; if they are ruled ineligible, the EBU will appoint an alternative host broadcaster. This broadcaster will organize the event in its own right and will not be required to stage it on behalf of another member.
While the EBU did not name specific countries in its announcement, multiple reports note that the change follows controversy surrounding Israel, which finished second in both 2025 and 2026. In an unprecedented move, five countries, including Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland, boycotted the 2026 contest in Vienna to protest Israel's participation and its war in Gaza. The new rules formalize a precedent set in 2023 when the United Kingdom hosted the contest in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine, the 2022 winner, due to the Russian invasion.
Additional rule changes include raising the minimum age for performers from 16 to 18 to protect young artists from competition pressure. The EBU also clarified that lead vocals must be performed live and cannot be supported by pre-recorded voices to maintain the integrity of the performances. Eurovision director Martin Green stated that these updates are part of an annual review to ensure the contest remains fair, transparent, and safe for all participants.
The 2027 contest will be held in Bulgaria following the victory of the singer Dara in 2026. Other developments include the addition of Canada as a participant and the planned launch of a Eurovision Song Contest Asia in Bangkok.
How each side framed it
- Left
- This outlet focused on the potential for the new rules to specifically prevent Israel from hosting in the future.
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the need for artist protection and the impact of the conflict on the contest's welcoming environment.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the official rule changes and the general geopolitical context of the boycotts.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the specific countries that boycotted and the fact that no single country was officially singled out by the EBU.
Sources
- Centre ANSA: Eurovision: countries at war will no longer be able to host the competition
- Centre Al-Monitor: Eurovision to bar countries at war from hosting
- Centre CNN Brasil: Eurovision: rule change prevents country in conflict from hosting event
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Eurovision Song Contest: Organizer can exclude winners from hosting
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Eurovision bars countries at war from hosting
- Left Haaretz: New Eurovision rule change could prevent Israel from hosting in the future
- Centre NRC: New Eurovision regulation: if a country in armed conflict wins, that country may not organize the contest
- Centre Politico Europe: Eurovision bars countries at war or in ‘sensitive geopolitical situations’ from hosting
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Eurovision to bar countries at war from hosting
- Centre-left The Guardian: Countries in ‘armed conflict’ barred from hosting Eurovision
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.