Salvador Sobral won’t touch Eurovision 2026: “If Israel is there, I’m not going”
No Israel, no show, no pretending everything’s fine
Eurovision loves a comeback, a surprise interval act, a former winner popping up to remind us that “music unites”. Salvador Sobral is not here for that narrative.
The Portuguese singer, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, has turned down an invitation to perform at Eurovision 2026. His reason is not wrapped in PR foam or diplomatic fluff.
“If Israel is there, I’m not going.”
He said it on RAC 1, calmly, without theatrics, like someone who is very tired of having the same conversation and pretending it’s complicated.
This is not a phase, it’s a position
Sobral has been openly critical of Israel’s presence at Eurovision since late 2023, following the military offensive ordered by Benjamin Netanyahu against Gaza. The death toll, overwhelmingly civilian, has continued to rise. For Sobral, this is not “geopolitics”. It’s a moral red line.
What really irritates him is the selective memory of the European Broadcasting Union. Russia was kicked out in 2022 within minutes of invading Ukraine. Israel, under very different branding but with equally brutal consequences, stays comfortably inside the Eurovision bubble.
Same rulebook. Different courage.
“They invite me all the time. I always say no.”
The invitation for 2026 could have come from the EBU or from Austria’s broadcaster ORF, which will host the contest. Sobral does not even bother clarifying. To him, it changes nothing.
Eurovision emails him regularly. He regularly declines. This year was just more obvious than usual.
“They invited me and I said no, obviously. This year, obviously, I was going to answer no.”
No scandal. No tantrum. Just a closed door.
The Crystal Microphone stays on the shelf
Yes, he has thought about returning his 2017 Crystal Microphone, like two other winners already have. No, he decided not to.
Not because he softened his stance. Because he does not want to centre himself in a tragedy that is much bigger than Eurovision or Salvador Sobral’s legacy.
“This isn’t about me,” he said. “It’s about humanity and what’s happening in Gaza. And it’s still happening. People keep dying.”
A trophy gesture might trend for a day. Then what.
Portugal goes, Sobral doesn’t
The singer is also openly disappointed with Portugal’s decision to participate in Eurovision 2026. Especially because the country has organised solidarity events for Gaza, including a concert Sobral himself took part in.
On one side, solidarity. On the other, business as usual.
“I don’t understand how Portugal can do a solidarity concert for Gaza and then not have the clarity to say ‘no, we’re not going’,” he said. “That makes me sad.”
Eurovision wants silence. Sobral refuses it.
Eurovision insists it is non-political. Salvador Sobral insists on being consistent. He is not launching a campaign, not chasing headlines, not auditioning for moral superiority.
He is simply not singing while pretending nothing is happening.
In a contest built on noise, lights and endless applause, sometimes the loudest thing is one artist quietly saying no and meaning it.
Source: RAC1
