Eurovision Politics, Selections and Voting Rows — 2026-09-28
The biggest story of the week is the Netherlands' confirmed return to Eurovision 2027 after its boycott of the 2026 contest, with broadcaster NPO taking over from AVROTROS. Ireland, however, says it will stay away, meaning the five-country boycott bloc is fracturing rather than fully dissolving. Meanwhile, national selection season ticks along with France's Junior Eurovision song reveal and decisive Eurovision Asia national finals in Thailand and Laos.
Eurovision Politics, Selections and Voting Rows — 2026-09-28
Top developments
Netherlands confirms Eurovision 2027 return under a new broadcaster
On 23 September, Dutch public broadcasting confirmed the country will return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027 after boycotting the 2026 edition in Vienna over Israel's participation. Crucially, the return involves a broadcaster reshuffle: after AVROTROS announced it would not come back, the head broadcaster NPO has taken over responsibility for the Dutch entry, with NOS handling broadcast coverage of the contest in Burgas, Bulgaria.
NPO media director Jurre Bosman framed the decision as a public-service duty, saying "it is important that as a public broadcaster we continue to take part in this unifying European event". AVROTROS had argued in August that the contest could "no longer be considered neutral" because of divisions over the war in Gaza.
Ireland holds the line — the boycott bloc splits
Ireland will continue to stay away from the contest even as the Netherlands abandons its boycott, The Irish Times reported on 23 September. Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Iceland and Slovenia all sat out the 2026 contest over Israel's participation, so the Dutch U-turn leaves the remaining four boycotters in question.
Whether Spain, Iceland and Slovenia follow remains the key participation question for the 2027 season — and will shape how many of the 35 million viewers lost in 2026 come back. ESC Insight argues the era of the boycott appears to be ending, but questions whether the contest is really "back to normal".
Junior Eurovision 2026: France reveals Alec's song
On 24 September, France Télévisions unveiled "Comment tu vas ?", the song 12-year-old Alec will perform at Junior Eurovision 2026 in Malta on 24 October, live on France 4 and france.tv from 21:00. Alec co-wrote and co-composed the track with Malo'. France has won Junior Eurovision four times — most recently via Lou Deleuze, Zoé Clauzure, Lissandro and Valentina six years ago.
Eurovision Asia selections roll on: Laos decided, Thailand picks next
Eurovision Asia's first season is accelerating: on 24 September Laos chose its national entry for the Bangkok-based contest, with Eurovoix flagging the winning song's reveal ("Thinla"), while Thailand's final, "Thailand's Chosen One", was scheduled for 28 September — the host country selecting its representative. Cyprus also revealed its Junior Eurovision entry the same day.
Local view
French-language coverage centred on two threads: franceinfo highlighted Jurre Bosman's "federating European event" rationale for the Dutch return, and widely reported Alec's Junior Eurovision song reveal, noting France's history of four junior titles.
Context & numbers
The Dutch return comes against the backdrop of the boycott's measurable cost: the 2026 Vienna contest drew 131 million viewers, down 35 million on the previous year after five countries boycotted — though official Eurovision content generated over 2.75 billion views across platforms between January and May 2026.
On the radar
- Whether Spain, Iceland and Slovenia follow the Netherlands back for 2027 — the remaining boycott bloc is the season's defining participation question.
- Junior Eurovision 2026 in Malta on 24 October, with France's Alec and a newly revealed Cypriot entry among those confirmed.
- Eurovision Asia 2026 in Bangkok: with Laos decided and Thailand choosing on 28 September, more national finals are expected across the region in the coming weeks.
- SVT's Melodifestivalen 2027 timeline: submissions to the Swedish selection have been running, with songwriter deadlines and artist lineup announcements expected in the coming months.
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