In a statement, the Portuguese public television explains that the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) voted to "change the voting rules for the Eurovision Song Contest" in 2025 to "strengthen trust and transparency and guarantee the neutrality of the event".

The new rules were approved by the majority of EBU member countries, including RTP, which voted in favour because it considers that they "allow countries to participate in the next edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with a greater degree of confidence in the voting results".

"Based on this decision by the EBU, the holder of the Eurovision Song Contest, RTP, will participate in the 2026 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest," reads the same statement.

Following the EBU general assembly, the public television broadcasters of Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands confirmed their withdrawal from the Eurovision Song Contest, as Israel's participation will remain.

According to an EBU statement, "all EBU members who wish to participate in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest and agree to comply with the new rules are eligible to participate."

Secret ballot

EBU members, public broadcasters from various European countries, voted in a secret ballot, on whether they "were sufficiently satisfied with the new measures and safeguards announced last month, without voting on participation in next year's event."

“The vast majority agreed that a new vote on participation was unnecessary and that the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 should proceed as planned, with the additional safeguards in place,” the statement said.

Following the vote, public broadcasters from various countries must confirm their participation in the 2026 edition.

According to the EBU, “the full list of participants in the 70th anniversary edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will be announced before Christmas.”

Some European countries, including Slovenia, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands, have publicly stated in recent months that they are considering boycotting the 2026 edition if Israel participates in the contest.

The Eurovision Song Contest is organized by the EBU in cooperation with public broadcasters from more than 35 countries, including RTP.

The contest has been held annually since 1956, and some countries have been excluded, such as Belarus in 2021 after the re-election of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Russia in 2022 after the invasion of Ukraine.

Israel was the first non-European country to participate in 1973 and has won four times.