Netherlands to return to Eurovision 2027 after boycotting Israel’s participation

Dutch broadcaster NPO confirmed the Netherlands will compete in Eurovision 2027 after AVROTROS withdrew from the 2026 contest over Israel’s participation.

The Netherlands will join the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest after boycotting the event this year over Israel's participation, Dutch public broadcaster NPO said on Wednesday.

NPO took over from the original public broadcaster AVROTROS, which formally announced in August that they would not participate in the contest, stating that the event could "no longer be considered neutral" while a participating country, referring to Israel, remains involved in a large-scale military conflict, NL Time reported Wednesday.

In August, AVROTROS director-general Taco Zimmerman stated that the contest was meant to unite people and countries involved in international conflicts, undermining the contest's "neutrality" character, saying, "The Eurovision Song Contest was originally created to bring people and countries together." It is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the contest, undermining its neutral character.”

The broadcaster noted that it had returned responsibility for Dutch participation in Eurovision to the NPO. This organization oversees the overall Dutch public broadcasting system.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had initially set a September 15 deadline for countries to confirm their participation. NPO requested additional time to evaluate its options after taking over responsibility for the Netherlands’ Eurovision entry and was granted an extension until the end of September.

Countries weigh Eurovision return as Bulgaria prepares to host 2027 event

The Netherlands was among five countries, together with Ireland, Spain, Iceland, and Slovenia, that withdrew from the 2026 Eurovision contest in Vienna. Ireland’s broadcaster RTÉ has since said it will also skip and not broadcast the 2027 contest, while Spain and Iceland are still reviewing whether they will participate, according to Eurovoix.

The contest's final semi-final rounds ad grand final will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria May 11-15, 2027 hosted by Bulgarian National Television (BNT) alongside the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).