Scoopfeeds — Intelligent news, curated.
international

Eurovision: Final kicks off overshadowed by Israel dispute

DW English · May 16, 2026, 8:00 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • The kitsch pop music extravaganza, the world's biggest live music contest, has again been overshadowed by protests and a boycott over Israel's participation.
  • Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia have pulled out of the world's biggest live music contest, now in its 70th year, in protest at Israel's involvement.
  • "We will not be in Vienna, ​but we will do so with the conviction that we are on the right side of history," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X on ​Friday.

Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.

The kitsch pop music extravaganza, the world's biggest live music contest, has again been overshadowed by protests and a boycott over Israel's participation.

https://p.dw.com/p/5Dqh IAustralia has taken part in Eurovision for years as a non-European guest nation Image: Martin Meissner/AP Photo/picture alliance Advertisement The Eurovision Song Contest final began in Austria's capital Vienna on Saturday night amid a boycott by five countries over Israel's participation.

Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia have pulled out of the world's biggest live music contest, now in its 70th year, in protest at Israel's involvement.

Article preview — originally published by DW English. Full story at the source.
Read full story on DW English → More top stories

Also covered by

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from DW English alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop