The Netherlands in trouble? The Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS is stuck with a hardline statement about its Eurovision 2026 participation, while a bid to replace it to enable participation in Eurovision 2027 is on the table.
Since the EBU canceled the vote on expelling Israel from Eurovision 2026, the Netherlands has found itself in a highly complex position. The Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS, which stated in early September that it would only consider participating if Israel were excluded, now faces a critical decision, as domestic voices call to replace it if it refuses to take part.
The Netherlands’ hard line on Israel’s participation is evolving in a direction that probably nobody at AVROTROS expected. The Dutch broadcaster declared in early September, in unequivocal terms, that the Netherlands would not participate in Eurovision 2026 if Israel competes, but now, after the vote on Israel was canceled and the rules were amended, the broadcaster seems unable to walk back its stance.
AVROTROS had counted on international pressure leading to Israel’s disqualification and, according to reports in the country, the Dutch artist and song for 2026 have already been selected – a far‑advanced process completed to be ready for “any scenario”. However, even though everything is in place, it is still unclear whether the Dutch will step on the stage at all.
Although the issue will still be discussed at the general assembly of the EBU, the working assumption for now is that Israel will participate, and Austria (the host) and Germany (one of the funding countries) have openly supported that position. On the other side, countries such as Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Iceland have expressed reservations in the past, but none of them has yet announced a withdrawal. Some have merely stated that they are still considering the matter.
The one left with an uncompromising, non‑flexible declaration is the Netherlands – or more precisely, AVROTROS.
“Our position will not change”
Ahead of the signing of a ceasefire agreement, AVROTROS hurried to clarify that it remained firm in its position and that even if a ceasefire were signed, its decision would not change. The broadcaster’s spokesperson announced:
“We will not forget the severe human suffering in Gaza, the erosion of press freedom, and the many journalists killed, […] The interference of the Israeli government in the most recent edition of the contest is also a factor in our assessment. […] Our decision regarding participation in Eurovision 2026 was taken very seriously, […] We will reconsider our participation only in the years to come, depending on the circumstances that emerge then”.
Now, after the announcement canceling the vote and the introduction of a new rule that will ban interference by third parties – such as states – in the promotion of voting, the broadcaster confirmed in a statement that:
“(AVROTROS) will respond only after the general assembly, regarding the changes in the rules and the question of whether the Netherlands will participate in Eurovision 2026”.
The meaning is clear: the Netherlands is in a cautious holding pattern – neither joining nor withdrawing, and refraining from any final decision until the final changes to the contest rules are presented.
A contest between broadcasters?
Meanwhile, a somewhat more complex picture is emerging inside the Netherlands. Because the country has several broadcasting bodies that are members of the EBU, Dutch media have floated a possible scenario under which, starting in 2027, another network will take over the management of Eurovision events. The logic is simple: the Netherlands has several broadcasters that belong to the EBU, and unlike AVROTROS, some of them do not object to taking part in Eurovision.
For now, this is only a scenario, with no official confirmation, and replacing the national broadcaster already in 2026 is currently impossible due to an internal national agreement. In 2027, however, such a change would indeed be possible.
Among the names examined as candidates to take responsibility for the Eurovision project is Omroep Max, although its director denies any such move, as well as the national broadcaster NOS, which has extensive experience in airing major live events, From this reporting it appears that the resistance to participate is not “the Dutch position” as a whole, but rather the stance of a single broadcasting network, while others may be willing to take part in the contest.
Only last week, the president of the Spanish national broadcaster RTVE wrote a line that may sum up the entire story:
“Is this not supposed to be a festival of participating television networks, not of participating countries?”
If so, if one broadcaster refuses – there are others that would agree to broadcast occuring Eurovision contests.
The Netherlands is not speaking with a single voice. AVROTROS is locking in its position, but the understanding within the system is that the country itself is not necessarily eager to give up the contest. Instead of a broad European boycott, the Netherlands is left mainly with an internal dilemma: will a single broadcaster cause the country to forgo participation, or will the state decide to change the broadcasting structure in the coming years?
What happens next?
According to AVROTROS, the broadcaster will issue its official decision only after the EBU general assembly on December 4th–5th.
Until then, the artist chosen in the Netherlands is waiting, the fans are waiting – and AVROTROS may have to find a way to climb back down from the very tall tree it has climbed.
The Netherlands at Eurovision 2025
“C’est La Vie” is the title of the song performed by Claude, who represented the Netherlands at Eurovision 2025. The Netherlands qualified for the Grand Final after placing third in the first semi-final with 121 points. In the Grand Final, the Netherlands finished in 12th place with 175 points, with the jury awarding the country fifth place, but the public at home ranking it only 15th.
This year, the Netherlands participated in the Grand Final after two years of missing out. In 2023, Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper failed to qualify from the semi-final, while in 2024, Joost Klein was disqualified after the semi-final due to a violent incident involving the competition’s production team.
Eurovision 2025: This was the Netherlands’ 65th participation in Eurovision. The Netherlands joined the competition in 1956, was one of the seven founding countries, and has won it five times over the years. The Netherlands’ last victory was at Eurovision 2019 with the song “Arcade” performed by singer Duncan Laurence.
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Ilay Gaist is a leading Israeli content creator and writer specializing in the Eurovision Song Contest. He is a well-known commentator with extensive expertise in the contest’s history, rules, and dynamics. His passion for Eurovision drives him to deliver rich, professional, and innovative content to his audience.
Ilay holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and has a multilingual background. He also engages in cultural research, with a particular focus on global culinary traditions and the evolution of local cuisines around the world.
