Official EBU data reveals how voting fans from Netherlands, Slovakia, and Turkey defied political boycotts to support Eurovision 2026 entries.

Eurovision 2026 may be behind us, but the official data published by the EBU is making waves across the continent and beyond. It turns out that precisely in countries that did not send any representative to the stage, the craze celebrated with unprecedented power. As is well known, all votes from fans in countries not officially participating in the competition are ultimately aggregated under the “Rest of the World” category into a joint set of points, based solely on the audience vote – both in the semi-finals and the grand final. And this year, this audience spoke loud and clear.

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In the official statement by the EBU, it was written:

“Fans voted this year in 148 countries and territories – two more than in 2025. Votes from audiences outside the 35 participating countries were combined, and their top ten songs received points equivalent to one participating country in each semi-final and in the grand final.”

So which countries completely overwhelmed the voting lines outside the competition? These are the top ten countries in the “Rest of the World” voting:

Canada
Hungary
Ireland
Mexico
Netherlands
Slovakia
Spain
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States

National Broadcasters Withdraw – The Audience Refuses to Say Goodbye

The most surprising and prominent statistic in this table presents a fascinating irony: three of the countries that withdrew from the competition this year due to Israel’s participation – Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland – find themselves at the top of the voting list. The conclusion is clear: the national broadcaster withdraws – but the residents refuse to say goodbye. Despite the decisions of professional or political echelons, the audience at home remained loyal to the brand and supported their favorite artists from afar.

This phenomenon certainly does not stop at the living room couch. Some of these countries completely overwhelmed not only the voting lines, but also the ticket sales websites for Eurovision 2026, alongside non-European nations such as the United States and Australia, which regularly place in the top ten and prove the global strength of the brand.

It is amazing to see that among the top voting countries within the “Rest of the World” category, non-European countries can be found. The inclusion of countries like the United States and Mexico in the top ten testifies to the power of the “Eurovision” brand even outside the continent. In the case of the Netherlands, the national broadcaster indeed withdrew from Eurovision in protest of Israel’s participation and even threatened to continue the boycott in 2027, but the Dutch audience signaled that it is interested in a comeback by ranking at the top of ticket buyers and voters. Another surprising country on this list is Slovakia, which has a small population and has not participated in Eurovision since 2012, yet still ranks at the top of ticket purchases and voting.

A similar and inspiring story was also recorded in Turkey: despite the Turkish government not supporting the country’s return to Eurovision at all, the local audience thinks completely differently, refuses to miss out on the celebration, and brings Turkey to the forefront of the “Rest of the World” voting stage. On the way to a crazy comeback in Eurovision 2027?

Behind the Scenes: The Road to Eurovision 2027

These dramatic figures are by no means accidental – they prove that the public ground ahead of Eurovision 2027 is already completely ripe, and in some countries, behind-the-scenes moves are already in full swing:

Slovakia: The Approaching Financial Comeback

The crazy voting and ticket data from Slovak fans this season did not come out of nowhere. The local national broadcaster STVR held serious negotiations for a return as early as 2026. The move failed at the last moment only due to high production costs, but the CEO of the public radio has already officially declared: “We will return, sooner or later.” Now it is clear that the public is right there with him.

Hungary: The Political Shift Rerouting the Path

Hungary has been absent from the competition since 2019 due to opposition from the far-right government, but the historic change of government in the country last month changed the rules of the game. The newly elected Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, has already promised to work towards the country’s quick return to Eurovision. If the new government completes the reorganization of the national broadcaster by the autumn, Hungary is expected to announce an official return in 2027.

The Netherlands: An Internal Revolt Against the Boycott

The passion of the Dutch audience for the competition sparked a political-cultural drama within the country this year. While the current Dutch national broadcaster AVROTROS boycotted the competition because of Israel’s participation and even threatened to continue the boycott in 2027, a competing broadcasting network, Omroep MAX, dropped a bombshell and announced that it is ready to replace the boycotting network and fund the participation in cooperation with the public broadcasting corporation. The CEO of the network made it clear that a cultural boycott is a mistake – and it seems the Dutch audience completely agrees with him.

The numbers do not lie: the music and the connection of the fans are stronger than boycotts, political decisions, or the budget considerations of national broadcasters. The audience wants Eurovision – and it seems that in 2027, the map of participating countries is about to change completely.

Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was held in Vienna, Austria, following the country’s victory at Eurovision 2025 with the song “Wasted Love” performed by JJ. The competition took place at the Wiener Stadthalle, the largest indoor arena in Austria, with the semi-finals held on May 12th and 14th, and the Grand Final on May 16th. This marked the third time that Vienna hosted the contest, having previously hosted the event in 1967 and 2015.