RAI confirms that Italy will compete in Eurovision after Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain pull out in protest over inclusion of Israel.Italy’s public broadcaster RAI on Saturday pledged its support for Israel’s participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and also confirmed that Italy will compete in the annual event.The decision came after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly approved Israel’s entry for the 70th edition of the contest which will take place in the Austrian capital Vienna from 12-16 May 2026. Several countries including Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have pulled out in protest over the inclusion of Israel, citing its war on Gaza, while Iceland is to hold further talks in the coming days before deciding whether to participate or withdraw. Big Five Italy is one of the "Big Five" countries - along with France, Germany, Spain and the UK - whose Eurovision acts qualify automatically for the final because their broadcasters make the largest financial contributions to the contest. "Italy has always been among the countries that have believed in and invested in the Eurovision Song Contest, contributing significantly, including financially, to its development and international success", RAI said in a statement. "In recent years, our commitment has steadily increased, demonstrating the value we place on an event that represents the longest-running international music festival, capable of uniting diverse cultures in a shared celebration", the Italian broadcaster said, adding: "RAI's commitment to the contest confirms the desire to strengthen Italy's role in promoting music, culture and entertainment on the global stage". Reaction to EBU decision The decision to allow the participation of Israel in the contest was welcomed by Israeli president Isaac Herzog who hailed it as "an appreciated gesture of solidarity, brotherhood, and co-operation, symbolising a victory over those who seek to silence Israel and spread hatred". Ireland's state broadcaster RTÉ said it felt that its participation in the contest "remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk." New rules The EBU also announced changes to the contest's voting system following the controversy that arose during the last edition of the competition over allegations that Israel unfairly boosted the number of votes obtained by Israeli singer Yuval Raphael. The voting change includes a reduction in the maximum number of votes per payment method, fixed at 10 instead of 20. With the new system, professional juries will also return for the semifinals instead of just the finals, giving roughly 50-50 percentage weight between audience and jury votes. The EBU announced that broadcasters from all member countries will need to confirm their participation in next year's competition, with the full list of participants to be announced before Christmas. Italy and the Eurovision Traditionally, the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival is given the chance to represent Italy at the Eurovision, however the 2025 winner Olly decided not to go forward. Instead the Italian entry went to Sanremo runner-up Lucio Corsi who came fifth at the Eurovision in Basel with his hit song Volevo essere un duro. The 2026 Eurovision in Vienna will be the 51st edition in which Italy will compete, however the entry by next year's chosen act will in fact be Italy's 53rd Eurovision song. In 1956 each country brought two songs to the competition, along with the song Fai rumore by Diodato, the Italian song ready for the Eurovision in Rotterdam 2020 which was cancelled due to covid. Italy last won the Eurovision in 2021, courtesy of Måneskin, following victories by Totò Cutugno in 1990 and Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964. Photo credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com.

Italy’s public broadcaster RAI on Saturday pledged its support for Israel’s participation in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and also confirmed that Italy will compete in the annual event. The decision came after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) general assembly approved Israel’s entry for the 70th edition of the contest which will take place in the Austrian capital Vienna from 12-16 May 2026. Several countries including Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have pulled out in protest over the inclusion of Israel, citing its war on Gaza, while Iceland is to hold further talks in the coming days before deciding whether to participate or withdraw. Big Five Italy is one of the "Big Five" countries - along with France, Germany, Spain and the UK - whose Eurovision acts qualify automatically for the final because their broadcasters make the largest financial contributions to the contest. "Italy has always been among the countries that have believed in and invested in the Eurovision Song Contest, contributing significantly, including financially, to its development and international success", RAI said in . "In recent years, our commitment has steadily increased, demonstrating the value we place on an event that represents the longest-running international music festival, capable of uniting diverse cultures in a shared celebration", the Italian broadcaster said, adding: "RAI's commitment to the contest confirms the desire to strengthen Italy's role in promoting music, culture and entertainment on the global stage". Reaction to EBU decision The decision to allow the participation of Israel in the contest was welcomed by Israeli president Isaac Herzog who hailed it as "an appreciated gesture of solidarity, brotherhood, and co-operation, symbolising a victory over those who seek to silence Israel and spread hatred". Ireland's state broadcaster RTÉ said it felt that its participation in the contest "remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk." New rules The EBU also announced changes to the contest's voting system following the controversy that arose during the last edition of the competition over allegations that Israel unfairly boosted the number of votes obtained by Israeli singer Yuval Raphael. The voting change includes a reduction in the maximum number of votes per payment method, fixed at 10 instead of 20. With the new system, professional juries will also return for the semifinals instead of just the finals, giving roughly 50-50 percentage weight between audience and jury votes. The EBU announced that broadcasters from all member countries will need to confirm their participation in next year's competition, with the full list of participants to be announced before Christmas. Italy and the Eurovision Traditionally, the winner of the Sanremo Music Festival is given the chance to represent Italy at the Eurovision, however the  decided not to go forward. Instead the Italian entry went to Sanremo runner-up with his hit song Volevo essere un duro. The 2026 Eurovision in Vienna will be the 51st edition in which Italy will compete, however the entry by next year's chosen act will in fact be Italy's 53rd Eurovision song. In 1956 each country brought two songs to the competition, along with the song Fai rumore by Diodato, the Italian song ready for the Eurovision in Rotterdam 2020 which was cancelled due to covid. Italy last won the Eurovision in 2021, courtesy of , following victories by Totò Cutugno in 1990 and Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964. Photo credit: Ben Houdijk / Shutterstock.com.