EBU changes rules: winning country could lose right to host Eurovision

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has introduced new rules for the Eurovision Song Contest under which the public broadcaster of the previous year's winning country could automatically be denied the right to host the following year's event. This would apply if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other circumstance significantly affects the security or stability of that country or its immediate region.

According to the EBU's statement, the organization may commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is able to safely host the event. No specific country was named in the announcement, but the rule change could affect Israel's prospects, given that it finished in second place at both the 2025 and 2026 contests, coming close to winning on each occasion.

Boycott in Vienna

Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — boycotted the 2026 contest held in Vienna, marking the first such boycott in the event's history. These countries stated they could not compete alongside Israel, accusing it of violations during the war against the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip.

How a replacement host would be chosen

If a winning country turns out to be unable to host the contest, the EBU will appoint another country to organize it instead. Under the new rules, the replacement host will run the event under its own name rather than on behalf of the original winning country. A similar situation occurred in 2023: after Ukraine won the 2022 contest, it could not host the following year's edition due to Russia's full-scale invasion, so runner-up United Kingdom organized the event on Ukraine's behalf. That contest's semi-finals and final took place in Liverpool.