French President Emmanuel Macron rejected boycott calls against Israel in Eurovision 2026. Following France’s confirmation, what is the country’s likely vote in the upcoming EBU decision?
France’s national broadcaster France Télévisions confirmed this week that the country will take part in Eurovision 2026, to be held in Vienna, Austria. Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron also issued an encouraging statement, making clear he does not support calls to boycott Israel’s participation. But what does this mean for France’s stance in the vote on Israel’s Eurovision participation?
“I Never Advocate For a Boycott”
In an interview with the Israeli journalist Yonit Levi on Channel 12 News, Macron was asked: “We are seeing this sort of worrying trend of boycotts against Israel, Eurovision as an example. Do you support those kinds of sentiments? For example, kicking Israel out of this Song Contest or from sporting events?“
Macron replied:
“No, I have never took this approach… I always try to be extremely sharp and to be in a situation to explain my position. I am not in favor of the boycott because I want to engage with Israel and I think Israel was first victim of the 7th of October, for sure, so I never advocate for a boycott.“
France Télévisions’ position aligns with this stance. The broadcaster confirmed on Wednesday:
“France Télévisions is pleased to confirm its particiation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on May 16th in Vienna, alongside fellow public service media members of the EBU. The group reaffirms its support for musical creation, to artists, and for this unique event”.
הצגת פוסט זה באינסטגרם
France’s Position Regarding Israel
France appears to be taking a similar stance to other nations, treating Eurovision as an apolitical cultural event. Like Malta, Australia, and the United Kingdom, France does not connect its participation to political developments. While its statement made no direct reference to Israel, the confirmation carries weight given the timing – coming just as Spain declared it would withdraw if Israel were allowed to participate. France, in contrast, has opted to avoid politicization and remain as neutral as possible. Adding interest, history shows France as the country that has awarded Israel the most points across Israel’s 47 appearances in the contest.
Macron’s statement could suggest that France may not only remain neutral but potentially vote in favor of Israel’s participation at the EBU General Assembly vote, expected on October 4. As one of the “Big 5,” France’s position is highly influential. It seems France and the UK intend to remain largely observers (with France possibly supporting Israel in the vote), while Germany and Italy appear openly aligned with Israel, countering Spain’s opposition.
European Leaders Voice Support
Macron is not the only senior European politician backing Israel’s continued participation in Eurovision 2026. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also weighed in this week on the boycott threats from The Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain, who have declared they will quit Eurovision 2026 if Israel competes.
Kallas made her position clear: “All these measures, which in practice aim to punish the people of Israel, in my view are misguided, and we do not support them”.
France at Eurovision 2025
“maman” (in English: “Mom”) is the title of the song to be performed by the singer, Louane, who represented France at Eurovision 2025, in Basel, Switzerland. France finished seventh in the final with 230 points. France was ranked third by the judges, but the young singer received only 14th place from the public vote. The seventh place overall was considered low compared to France’s pre-contest odds, where it was ranked third.
This marks the second consecutive year that France has finished in the top 10 at the Eurovision final.
Eurovision 2026: This will be France’s 67th participation in Eurovision. France joined the competition in 1956 and has won it five times over the years. France’s last victory was in Eurovision 1977 with the song “L’Oiseau et l’Enfant” performed by singer Marie Myriam.
