Iceland’s national broadcaster RUV has announced the cancellation of “Söngvakeppnin 2026”, saying there is no longer a need for an Icelandic entry for Eurovision 2026. What will replace it?
During the weekend, Icelandic national broadcaster RÚV announced the cancellation of “Söngvakeppnin 2026”, one month after confirming it would not participate in Eurovision 2026. In a message sent to songwriters who had submitted entries to the contest, RÚV stated that the conditions on which the competition was based – selecting Iceland’s Eurovision entry – were no longer relevant.
A Late Announcement
The decision to cancel Iceland’s national final did not come as a surprise – and perhaps even came late. Songwriters who had already submitted songs to the competition were left in uncertainty for the past month and only received official confirmation of the cancellation over the weekend. In the email sent by RÚV to all participants, the broadcaster wrote:
“As you saw in the news before the end of the year, RÚV decided not to take part in Eurovision this year. We have therefore decided to cancel the competition to which you submitted a song, as the main premise was that Iceland’s entry for Eurovision would be selected through it”.
The message also stated that no decision has yet been made on whether or when an alternative song competition will be held instead and added:
“but if such a decision is made, a new call for song submissions will be announced. […] The time for this is approaching, and we will soon be able to say more”.
A Long-Running Contest Comes to an End
The competition, which served as a major launchpad for Icelandic artists, has been held since 1981. When Iceland joined Eurovision in 1986, it officially became the country’s national selection for the contest. Since then, Iceland’s Eurovision representative has been chosen internally only seven times.
The last time Söngvakeppnin was cancelled was in 2021, following the cancellation of Eurovision 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the 2020 national final winner Daði Freyr was automatically selected to represent Iceland.
Iceland’s Withdrawal from Eurovision
Iceland is considered one of the countries with the highest Eurovision viewing figures, regularly recording over 95% audience share, making its withdrawal especially dramatic.
The broadcaster’s decision to pull out of Eurovision received significant public backing after protests in Iceland intensified ahead of a vote held by the EBU earlier last month, when dozens of demonstrators gathered outside RÚV’s offices calling on the broadcaster to boycott the contest.
In the retirement announcement, it was clarified that cultural figures in Iceland, including artists’ organizations and the general public, oppose participating in the contest and refuse to take part in it alongside Israel. The statement read:
“In light of the ongoing public debate in Iceland and the reactions to the EBU’s decision last week, it is clear that neither joy nor peace would prevail around RÚV’s participation in Eurovision. Therefore, RÚV concludes that it must inform the EBU today that it will not take part in next year’s Eurovision”.
The statement also said:
“The song contest and Iceland’s participation in Eurovision have always been intended to unite the Icelandic public—but it is now clear that this goal cannot be achieved, and therefore the decision has been made on substantive grounds”.
Iceland in Eurovision 2025
“Róa” is the name of the song performed by the duo Væb, who represented Iceland at Eurovision 2025. Iceland advanced to the grand final after ranking sixth in the first semi-final with 97 points. In the grand final, Iceland finished in 25th place with 33 points,all from the public voting, placing them 17th, while the juries ranked them last with 0 points.
This year, Iceland participated in the grand final after two years of failing to qualify. In 2023, Diljá failed to advance to the final with her song “Power”. In 2024, Hera Björk placed last in the first semi-final with the song “Scared Of Heights”.
Eurovision 2025: This was Iceland’s 37th participation in Eurovision. Iceland joined the competition in 1986 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 1999 and Eurovision 2009 after finishing second twice.
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