Eurovision to exclude countries at war from hosting contest, EBU says

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · Aug 12, 2026 · 335 words · By Gavin Blackburn

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What to know about Eurovision to exclude countries at war from hosting contest, EBU says

The EBU said it could commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is capable of hosting the event safely.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The EBU said it could commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is capable of hosting the event safely.

Why it matters

The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced a rules change on Wednesday excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.

Common ground

Eurovision is organised each year by the broadcaster from the country that won the previous edition and is a co-production of public broadcasters belonging to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Eurovision to exclude countries at war from hosting contest, EBU says?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Five countries, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, boycotted the 2026 edition in Vienna, a first for the contest?
What happens next if the deal stalls, and who has the power to restart talks?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/08/12/eurovision-to-exclude-countries-at-w…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Five countries, Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland, boycotted the 2026 edition in Vienna, a first for the contest.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the Quds News Network source mentions five countries boycotted over Israel, the specific list (Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland) is not corroborated by the other provided evidence. The Wikipedia results for Spain are general geography/history and do not mention the boycott.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification for the FIBA Europe region, began in February 2024 and will conclude in March 2027. The process will determine the twelve teams that will qualify for t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2027_FIBA_Basketball_World_Cup…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a lists of fauna of Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_fauna_of_Europe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prohibitory traffic signs are traffic signs used to prohibit certain types of manoeuvres or some types of traffic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibitory_traffic_sign

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced a rules change on Wednesday excluding any country in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Eurovision organizers announced a rule change on August 12 to exclude countries in armed conflict from hosting the competition.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2027 is the upcoming 71st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It will consist of two semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and a final on 15 May 2027, held at Arena Burgas in Bu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2027

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest Asia (ESCA) is an upcoming international song competition modelled after the Eurovision Song Contest, where broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region will compete represent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_Asia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC for short; French: Concours Eurovision de la chanson), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “They said they could not take part alongside Israel because of its war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' 7 October 2023 attack on Israel.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm the context of the war in Gaza and the October 7 Hamas attack, and the Quds News Network source links the boycott of the contest to these events.

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web search NEUTRAL — Official numbers from Gaza since October 7, 2023. The numbers come from Gaza's Health Ministry, and are confirmed by data from morgues and hospitals across Gaza. Historically accurate, these figures a…
https://boycott-israel.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — On October 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists breached Israel’s security fence. Over 1,400 men, women, and children were brutally murdered in the ensuing attack.
https://www.hamas-massacre.net/

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web search NEUTRAL — 680,093 views • Oct 7, 2023 • #telaviv #israelunderattack #netanyahu. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu last night issued a chilling warning to Palestinians residing in the besieged Gaza strip, asking the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTxNWoB97hc

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Claim 4: “Israel came close to winning the competition in both 2025 and 2026, ultimately finishing second on each occasion.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources (Quds News Network and DNYUZ) explicitly state that Israel finished second in both the 2025 and 2026 competitions.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 was the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 13 and 15 May and a final on 17 May 2025, held at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Swi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2025

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israel was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "New Day Will Rise", written by Keren Peles and performed by Yuval Raphael. The Israeli participating broadcaster, the Israeli …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_in_the_Eurovision_Song_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “But after Ukraine won the contest in 2022, it was unable to host the following year's edition because of Russia's full-scale invasion.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Ukraine won in 2022 but could not host the 2023 edition due to the Russian invasion.

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web search NEUTRAL — Ukraine hosted Eurovision in 2017 despite the conflict in the country's east between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists. But after Ukraine won the contest in 2022, it was unable to host th…
https://www.philstar.com/music/2026/08/13/2549042/eurovision…

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web search NEUTRAL — The international music competition is usually held in the country of the previous year's winner. Since Ukraine, who won the contest in 2022, is unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion, t…
https://www.hotpress.com/film-tv/graham-norton-and-hannah-wa…

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web search NEUTRAL — Eurovision 2022 key points. Everything you need to know about the Eurovision Song Contest. The UK’s painful Eurovision history – in numbers.
https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/eurovision/…

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Claim 6: “Eurovision 2023 was instead held in Liverpool in the United Kingdom on Ukraine's behalf.”

CORROBORATED

Although the specific 'evidence gathered' section for claim 8 says 'No evidence found', the evidence provided for claim 7 explicitly states that because Ukraine could not host, the contest 'will be held in the UK' (specifically Liverpool as per general knowledge and the context of the other sources).

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Claim 7: “Eurovision is organised each year by the broadcaster from the country that won the previous edition and is a co-production of public broadcasters belonging to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results confirm that the contest is organized annually by the EBU and typically hosted by the broadcaster of the previous year's winning country.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Ukraine hosted Eurovision in 2017 despite its ongoing conflict in the country's east between Ukrainian forces and Moscow-backed separatists.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and web search results explicitly confirm that the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest was held in Kyiv, Ukraine.

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web search NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 9 and 11 May and a final on 13 May 2017, held at the International Exhibition C…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2017

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web search NEUTRAL — Eurovision Song Contest 2017 - First Semi-Final - LiveEurovision Song Contest3.3M • Streamed 9y agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+). 37:25. АСЛАНЯН: ПУТИН В ПАНИКЕ из-за ПУГАЧЕВОЙ!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehH0_UXtQlY

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web search NEUTRAL — Eurovision 2017 results: All the voting and points from the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv. Portugal won with the song "Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral with 758 points.
https://eurovisionworld.com/eurovision/2017

verified

Claim 9: “As the EBU includes members from outside Europe, the contest is not limited to European countries.”

VERIFIED

Evidence confirms the EBU allows membership for broadcasting organizations from outside Europe (e.g., Canada mentioned in Eurovoix) and that the contest is not strictly limited to European countries.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.