Belgium Says It Will Stay in Eurovision 2026 – but Not Quietly
Belgium is going to Eurovision 2026.
The confirmation came after a long, slightly chaotic day at the EBU, where the debate around Israel’s participation overshadowed pretty much everything else. RTBF will send an act next year, though not as if nothing were happening. The broadcaster insists that its presence in Vienna will come with a clear editorial stance — and a fairly serious one.
RTBF: taking part, but with eyes wide open
Jean-Paul Philippot, head of RTBF, didn’t bother with diplomatic phrasing. He said, quite plainly, that Belgium’s participation must go hand-in-hand with defending press freedom and drawing attention to what journalists face on the ground.
His line summed up the tone of the day:
“Culture isn’t something that floats above reality.”
For RTBF, Eurovision only makes sense if it remains a space where artistic freedom, diversity and public-service values can actually coexist. They’re taking part, but they’re not pretending the world is fine.
Covering Eurovision as news, not escapism
One point Philippot kept returning to is that RTBF won’t just air Eurovision — it will report on it. Properly.
The broadcaster believes that being inside the event allows it to remind viewers what is happening far from the Austrian stage, particularly in Gaza, where civilians and journalists continue to face conditions that no announcement from the EBU can tidy away.
The EBU, after hours of debate, announced a task force to “work on these issues”. Belgians aren’t throwing confetti just yet.
VRT will broadcast too, though on its own terms
On the Flemish side, VRT has taken a similar line: yes, they’ll show the contest, but with editorial framing. In Belgium this year, nobody wants to look like they’re shrugging and moving on.
Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland bow out entirely
While Belgium pushes forward, four other broadcasters have already withdrawn:
All for reasons that circle around Gaza, press freedom and a growing distrust of how the EBU has handled the situation.
The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced the strangest compromise so far: it will broadcast the contest but send no artist. Dutch viewers get Eurovision, but no Netherlands on stage. A very 2026 sort of contradiction.
Political reactions split down the middle
Belgium’s Media Minister, Jacqueline Galant, welcomed the decision and framed it as aligning with the “democratic majority” of the EBU. She said culture should remain “a bridge between peoples”. A nice sentiment, though not one everyone at home shares.
The opposition PS–PTB–Ecolo bloc had openly called for a boycott.
Cultural unions went further.
CGSP Culture urged Belgian artists to stay out of Eurovision altogether while Israel remains in the competition, accusing the state of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”. Even for Eurovision, not exactly a mild disagreement.
Eurovision heads to Vienna with more politics than LED
The EBU will unveil graphics and pyros soon enough, but underneath the sparkle lies a contest more divided than it has been in years. Some broadcasters stay reluctantly, others leave noisily. A few stay but protest anyway. And through it all, the EBU is trying to hold together something that looks like unity.
Belgium’s choice illustrates the mood perfectly:
you can stay in Eurovision, but you can’t pretend it’s just a song contest anymore.
Source: RTBF
