Overview
- The public vote cap per payment method drops from 20 to 10 for the 2026 contest.
- Professional juries return to the semi-finals with larger, more diverse panels, including 18–25 year-olds, and all jurors must sign independence and impartiality declarations.
- The EBU will deploy new tools to detect and block coordinated or fraudulent voting activity.
- Fresh guidance strongly discourages disproportionate promotional campaigns by third parties, particularly those backed by governments or agencies.
- Several broadcasters threaten to withdraw if Israel competes—cited countries include Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland—while the EBU affirms the 2025 results’ validity and schedules a 4–5 December assembly, with the 2026 participants to be named before Christmas.