New Eurovision rules could prevent Israel from hosting if it wins again

The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the annual Eurovision Song Contest, announced on Wednesday new rules that could prevent countries involved in armed conflict from hosting the event.

“Where an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of the immediate region of a Participating Broadcaster, that Participating Broadcaster shall not be eligible to host the next ESC should its entry win,” the new regulation states. The Eurovision site further posted that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) “may designate another Participating Broadcaster to host the Event” if it determines that the winning country is unable to do so.

The EBU clarified that “immediate region” refers to “the country of the Participating Broadcaster concerned and/or neighbouring territories where such a situation has a direct and material impact on its security environment.”

While the new regulations do not mention any specific country, some observers believe they could affect Israel. Israel has been involved in multiple conflicts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack. At the same time, Israel has come close to winning the Eurovision Song Contest in each of the past two years.

In May, Israeli singer Noam Bettan secured second place with the love song “Michelle,” performed in a mixture of French, Hebrew and English. In 2025, Israeli singer and Nova music festival survivor Yuval Raphael also finished second with the song “New Day Will Rise.” Raphael received the highest number of points from the public vote, while receiving significantly fewer points from national juries.

Under the EBU’s traditional rules, the winning country typically hosts the following year’s Eurovision competition. The new regulation means that even if Israel wins the contest next year, it is unclear whether it would be permitted to host the event in 2028.

Such a scenario would not be unprecedented. After Israel won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1978 and again in 1979, it chose not to host the competition for a second consecutive year. The 1980 contest was subsequently held in the Netherlands.

More recently, Ukraine won Eurovision in 2022, but the 2023 competition was held in the United Kingdom because of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Israel, however, has faced security threats and periods of conflict while also successfully hosting international events. The new EBU regulation leaves open the possibility that a country facing a conflict could still host Eurovision if the organization is “satisfied that the safety, security, integrity, continuity and smooth operational delivery of the Event can reasonably be guaranteed.”

Israel previously hosted the Eurovision Song Contest three times, in 1979, 1999 and 2019. At the same time, opposition to Israel’s participation in Eurovision has grown amid the wars and conflicts involving Israel, particularly in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Over the past two years, several countries and artists have called for Israel to be excluded or boycotted.

In December 2025, Eurovision approved Israel’s participation in the 2026 competition, despite opposition from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands.