RUV, the Icelandic national broadcaster has announced today that it will broadcast the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest despite its withdrawal from the competition.
Earlier today RUV announced today that Iceland will withdraw from Eurovision 2026 due to Israel’s participation in the competition. RUV’s Director General, Mr. Stefan Eiriksson has confirmed that RUV will broadcast the ESC 2026 for the Icelandic audience, eventhough the country has pulled out of the competition. He also noted that the Israeli entry will be shown like the entries from other countries.
Stefán Eiríksson (RUV General Director) says:
We are not making a decision to exclude any particular nation from individual sporting events or anything else. We broadcast our program. There are still people who are very interested in following Eurovision and will be able to do so in the future through our media.
Iceland in Eurovision
Iceland debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1986 and is yet to win the event. The country achieved its best results in the competition in 1999 (Selma) and 2009 ( Yohanna) when it placed 2nd in the Grand Final.
The Nordic nation has partaken in Europe’s favorite television show 37 times.
In 2025 VAEB represented Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel with their entry ‘Roa’.
