The Belgian-Walloon national broadcaster RTBF will unveil its internally selected Eurovision 2026 entry live on February 19th!
The Belgian-Walloon national broadcaster RTBF, which confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026 back in December, has announced today (Thursday) that a special broadcast revealing the country’s internally selected representative and song will air on next Thursday, February 19th, 2026, at 18:20 CET.
The information appeared on RTBF’s official website, listed in the programming schedule for “La Une”, the broadcaster’s main channel. However, no formal statement has yet been issued on the matter.
Belgium has displayed a fluctuating stance regarding its participation in the upcoming contest, following boycotts announced by several nations due to Israel’s involvement. Initially, Belgium confirmed its participation shortly after Eurovision 2025 but later reversed course, stating that it was reconsidering its participation. The shift came amid criticism of Israel’s inclusion and calls for the EBU to re-examine the issue. After a democratic decision by the EBU committee to allow Israel’s participation, Belgium ultimately chose to respect the decision and confirmed its own participation this year — despite strong objections and public criticism voiced by members of the Belgian delegation.
Late last year, reports suggested that former Eurovision favorite Loïc Nottet, who represented Belgium in 2015 with his song “Rhythm Inside” and achieved a fourth-place finish — one of the country’s best results in recent years — might return as the 2026 representative. RTBF firmly denied those claims.
That same report included a list of about 40 artists reportedly considered to represent Belgium, featuring well-known local performers such as Mentissa, Henri PFR, and Essyla. Since then, no additional details have been released about the artist or song selection process.
Belgium in Eurovision: Strobing Yellow Light
Despite being one of the contest’s seven founding nations, Belgium struggles significantly, achieving victory only once in 66 participations, marking 40 years this year since singer Sandra Kim‘s sole win with the song “J’aime La Vie” in 1986. A song that set an unbreakable record – the youngest winner in Eurovision history, as she was 13 years and 7 months old at the time of her victory. Belgium reached the top five just eight times – first place once, second place twice (1978 and 2003), fourth place four times (1966, 1982, 2015, and 2017), and fifth once (1958) – while landing in positions 6th-10th another 16 times.
The relegation system did not favor Belgium, yielding low results on the edge of elimination or actual elimination. Its lowest point came early, when 1993 representative Barbara Dex became iconic for all the wrong reasons, despite finishing last, an annual award for the worst-dressed contestant named after her.
Belgium missed the contest three times (1994, 1997, and 2001). With semi-finals, it proved a struggling nation again
Belgium qualified for only 8 finals out of 21 attempts since 2004, including a long non-qualification streak from 2004-2009 and several shorter ones. The eight finals were in 2010, 2013, 2015-2017, and 2021-2023, peaking with fourth places in 2015 with Loic Nottet and in 2017 with Blanche.
Recently, every selection method has backfired: via national final, Belgium failed to qualify for the Eurovision 2025 grand final with “Strobe Lights” by Red Sebastian, via internal, it also failed when Mustii‘s Song “Before The Party’s Over” failed as well and his party was over before it even started.
Belgium at Eurovision 2025:
“Strobe Lights” is the title of the song performed by Red Sebastian, who represented Belgium in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Belgium did not qualify for the grand final, marking the second consecutive year of non-qualification. Belgium finished 14th out of 15, earning only 23 points.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Belgium’s 67th participation in the contest. Belgium joined Eurovision in 1956 as one of its seven founding nations. The country’s best result came in 1986, when Sandra Kim won first place with “J’aime la vie”.
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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.
