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EBU Overhauls Eurovision Voting and Promotion Rules for 2026

Members will weigh the package in December after complaints about outside influence on recent contests raised the prospect of a vote on Israel's entry.

Overview

  • Fans will be limited to 10 votes per payment method in 2026, with professional juries reinstated for the semi‑finals to restore an approximate 50/50 split with the public vote.
  • Jury panels will expand from five to seven members, include at least two jurors aged 18–25, and require signed declarations of independent, impartial voting with no coordination.
  • An updated Code of Conduct curbs disproportionate third‑party promotion, explicitly including government‑backed campaigns, with potential sanctions for attempts to sway results.
  • The EBU will broaden fraud detection with voting partner Once to identify and block coordinated or suspicious activity and to strengthen monitoring of televote patterns.
  • All measures have been approved by the Eurovision Reference Group and will be reviewed at the December General Assembly, where a vote on Israel’s participation would occur only if members deem the reforms insufficient; the 2026 lineup is due before Christmas for May’s contest in Vienna.