Eurovision 2026: Boycotts, rule changes, and Israel controversy

The 70th Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Austria in Vienna after JJ's 2025 win with 'Wasted Love', features 35 countries. The second semi-final occurs on May 14, with the grand final on May 16 at Wiener Stadthalle, hosted by Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski. Israel's Noam Bettan qualified from the first semi-final. A record boycott sees Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Iceland, and Slovenia withdraw over Israel's participation due to the Gaza war. Voting rules changed for 2026: fans get max 10 votes (down from 20), jury votes now used in semi-finals, and better monitoring to prevent fraud. The UK's entrant Look Mum No Computer performs 'Eins, Zwei, Drei'. Graham Norton hosts the final on BBC, with Rylan and Angela Scanlon on semi-finals.