RTÉ Statement: 2026 Eurovision Song Contest “At the General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in July, a number of EBU members raised concerns about the participation of Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest. RTÉ wishes to thank the EBU for the extensive consultation process that was initiated on foot of that meeting, and […]
I feel like this gets asked often. There are several countries that aren’t in Europe but that currently participate in Eurovision: Israel, Cyprus, Armenia, and Australia.
The contest is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is made up of various broadcasters from countries across Europe and beyond. The BBC is a member of the EBU, as is RTE in Ireland, Rai in Italy, SVT in Sweden and so on. There are 73 member stations from more than 56 countries, and they’re entitled to send acts to Eurovision if they wish.
So as long as a nation has a broadcaster that operates inside the EBU, they’re allowed to enter.
I feel like this gets asked often. There are several countries that aren’t in Europe but that currently participate in Eurovision: Israel, Cyprus, Armenia, and Australia.
So as long as a nation has a broadcaster that operates inside the EBU, they’re allowed to enter.