The Debate over Finland’s participation in Eurovision 2026 intensifies after several European countries announced a boycott if Israel competes. What is the position of Finland’s national broadcaster YLE on the matter?
In the past week, several countries announced they would not participate in Eurovision 2026 if Israel remains in the competition. Slovenia, Ireland, and the Netherlands declared they will withdraw from Eurovision 2026 if Israel compete, while Iceland and Spain hinted they may join the boycott. Although Finland had already confirmed its participation, the Finnish national broadcaster YLE has now issued a statement following these latest developments.
Will Finland Compete Alongside Israel?
Johanna Törn-Mangs, Editor-in-Chief of YLE’s Culture Department, explained in an interview that a final decision on Finland’s participation will be made by mid-December.
“YLE is an independent and neutral body. We are not engaged in politics at the state level. However, this of course does not mean we accept human suffering caused by war under any circumstances”.
She noted that the Finnish national broadcaster has held several discussions with the EBU and with other Nordic broadcasters regarding participation in the contest:
“The EBU presented a list of measures intended to improve the security and the apolitical character of the competitions. The EBU has begun implementing them, but it must be said honestly that the EBU still has work to do in this regard”.
The conclusion? Despite the Finnish broadcaster’s opposition to war, YLE continues to remain cautious – likely influenced by Finland’s recent success at Eurovision and the competition’s strong popularity in the country.
UMK Will Take Place Regardless
Even if Finland ultimately decides not to participate in Eurovision 2026, UMK will be held as planned.
“UMK is an independent competition and one of YLE’s most important cultural productions, […] In recent years, it has brought new artists and music to the attention of the Finnish public. At the moment, YLE is fully focused on UMK. It is a strong local event and competition. What happens afterward will be discussed later”.
Added Törn-Mangs.
EBU’s Response: “Each Broadcaster Decides Whether to Participate”
Martin Green, the contest’s executive supervisor, stressed that participation in Eurovision is voluntary:
“The EBU will continue to maintain neutrality regarding the Middle East conflict”.
The vote on Israel’s suspension is expected December 4th-5th during the EBU General Assembly. Green added that by mid-December, each country will be required to confirm participation, and each national broadcaster will decide independently: “We will respect every decision”.
The EBU’s regulations allow suspension or expulsion of a country only through a special vote with a qualified majority, and only in extreme circumstances. Therefore, despite pressure from Slovenia, Spain, and Iceland, suspending or excluding Israel does not seem realistic at this stage. Nevertheless, Slovenia’s declarations and threats, along with the possibility of more countries joining a boycott, place significant uncertainty over the Vienna contest. Will Israel ultimately take part in the competition? For now, it is impossible to say with certainty — but many are still holding their breath in hope.
Israel at Eurovision 2025
“New Day Will Rise” is the song performed by Yuval Raphael, who was chosen to represent Israel after winning the 11th season of “HaKokhav HaBa”. Israel advanced to the final after winning the second semi-final with 203 points and finished second overall with 357 points in the grand final. Israel ranked first in the public vote but only 14th with the jury. This marks the third consecutive year that Israel has reached the top five – an unprecedented achievement.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Israel’s 48th participation in Eurovision. Israel joined the contest in 1973 and has won four times. Its most recent victory was at Eurovision 2018 with the song “Toy”, performed by singer Netta Barzilai.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +972-50-9441919
Neta Geffen is a respected journalist at Euromix, Israel’s leading news site for Eurovision coverage. Since 2010, Neta has been closely following the Eurovision Song Contest, bringing with him extensive experience, profound knowledge, and a broad understanding of the history, politics, and cultural influences that shape the event every year.
Neta publishes articles, analyses, and up-to-date reviews on all Eurovision developments, including musical trends, format changes, political influences, and audience reactions across Europe and Israel. Thanks to a deep connection to the contest’s history, Neta provides readers with wide-ranging context—from the impact of political events on results, to in-depth analyses of songs and languages within the competition. Neta specializes particularly in the Eurovision rock genre, Balkan ballads, and native language entries, with a special focus on Italian and Greek songs.
