The European Broadcasting Union has rewritten its rules so that a country in armed conflict cannot host the Eurovision Song Contest, no matter how its entry performs. The change was announced on Wednesday.
Under the new wording, "the winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host the Contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region".
The EBU can commission an independent security assessment before deciding whether a winning country is able to run the event safely. Where it decides the country cannot, it will appoint another host nation.
The 70th contest was held at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna in May. DARA won it for Bulgaria with Bangaranga on 516 points, the country's first victory. Israel finished second with Noam Bettan's Michelle on 343 points, 123 from the juries and 220 from the public vote. Romania was third, Australia fourth with Delta Goodrem's Eclipse, and Italy fifth.
Five broadcasters sat the 2026 edition out. Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland withdrew over Israel's participation, the first coordinated withdrawal in the contest's history. The EBU's statement on Wednesday did not name any country.
Hosting is the prize behind the prize. The winning broadcaster carries the production cost and takes the tourism, sponsorship and broadcast revenue that comes with running the event, which is why the question of who gets to host has never been a formality.
The wording the EBU has adopted is wide. "A sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation" is not defined in the rule, no threshold has been published, and the EBU has not said who will conduct the security assessments or whether their findings will be released. The union is a members' association of public broadcasters, and it has written a discretionary power over its own members without setting out how that discretion will be exercised.
It has made the call before, case by case. Ukraine hosted in 2017 while fighting continued in the east of the country. It won again in 2022 and was ruled unable to host the following year after the full-scale Russian invasion, with the United Kingdom taking the 2023 contest instead. What changed this week is that the decision now sits in the rulebook rather than in a one-off ruling.
SBS has entered Australia in the contest since 2015 and Goodrem's fourth place is among the country's stronger results. Australia has never won, so the hosting question has never arisen here.
The rule applies from the next contest. Bulgaria won in May, and on the ordinary process its broadcaster has first claim on staging the 2027 event.
