The European Broadcasting Union's (EBU) decision to allow Israel to participate has sparked strong reactions across Europe and reopened the issue of political neutrality Eurovision songs. After Spain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Ireland, Iceland also canceled their participation boycotts became a real factor in sustainability planning, but also the profitability of the competition that should be held in Vienna in 2026.
Although the withdrawals, especially inspired by political and social divisions, in practice mean uncertainty in terms of viewership, ticket sales and advertiser interest, Roland Weissmann, director of ORF, confirmed in his statement to the British Guardian that the event will take place regardless of the obstacles: "I don't see that this [boycotts] will be a problem for Vienna, and even if the gain is a bit smaller, we will manage to make up for it."
For the host city and national broadcaster, the political pressures come at a time when Eurovision is also facing increasingly pronounced budget constraints. The Austrian public broadcaster ORF is already operating under conditions of financial cuts, and estimates say that the organization of Eurovision could cost around 36 million euros. The city of Vienna participates in that amount with about 22 million, while the rest should be covered by funds that will be provided by the EBU and sponsorships.
Opening and closing ceremonies, television production and supporting programs are always the most expensive and visible part of any major event. Such expenditures are not the exception, but the rule: the ceremonies of the European Games in Baku 2015 cost about 155 million dollars, while the ceremonial programs of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 are estimated at more than 150 million, not including related costs such as the billions invested in the controversial cleaning of the Seine River. Even in "modest" formats, such as the World Expo 2020 in Dubai or the Asian Games, the ceremonies cost more between 40 and 50 million dollars.
However, examples from around the world show that even modest ceremonial budgets do not exclude public controversies. The Southeast Asian Games 2025, which are currently being held in Thailand, and which gather more than 9.000 athletes, allocated about 166 million baht, or about five million euros, for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Despite the relatively low amount, the opening ceremony caused criticism from a part of the public due to the quality of the production and organizational problems, but also the question of whether such an expense is justified at a time of heightened political tensions and tragic floods that marked the previous period. Cambodia's withdrawal due to the armed conflicts that broke out on the border between these two countries caused additional attention and diverted the focus from sports.
Eurovision 2026: Israel, return of the trophy and cancellation of participation
