Belgium confirms its participation at Eurovision 2026

Following on from the Eurovision Broadcasting Union's explosive General Assembly on 4 December 2025, the major story has been the confirmation that Israel will participate at Eurovision 2026 and the accompanying news that Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain will not.

Two other countries, Belgium and Iceland, remained outstanding as the last countries to confirm their intentions for next year.

However, we can now reduce that number to one - earlier this evening, the Director-General of Belgian broadcaster RTBF Jean-Paul Phillipot confirmed the broadcaster will participate in Vienna.

RTBF voted in favour of the new rules implemented to reinforce the Contest's stability at the General Assembly. However, RTBF has also reported that the broadcaster considers it will be necessary to go further than the new measures proposed by the EBU to respond to the significant concerns raised around the future of the Eurovision Song Contest.

"The objective is to give clear signals in relation to the situation in Gaza concerning, among other things, the protection of citizens and journalists and press access."

The director-general of RTBF added that "[Belgium's] participation is accompanied by a clear position denouncing the obstacles to free reporting, calling for the protection of all citizens and journalists and guaranteeing their safety in [Gaza]. Because culture is never a distraction from the real. Because public service has the responsibility to remain faithful to humanity, to editorial independence and to freedom."

Flemish broadcaster VRT will also broadcast the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, but has remained silent as to whether it will continue to organise the Belgian participation in 2027 and beyond.

Traditionally, VRT and RTBF alternate in taking responsibility for Belgium's participation at the Contest to ensure representation of both the Dutch-speaking Flanders region and the French-speaking region of Wallonia at Eurovision.

RTBF will announce more details about their participation in due course, with VRT reporting that the Wallonian broadcaster was already well-advanced in its preparations for next year's contest.

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