The RTBF, responsible for selecting Belgium’s Eurovision Song Contest entrant for 2026, has not yet confirmed its participation in the event, scheduled for next May in Austria.
The French-speaking public broadcaster told Belga News Agency on Thursday that despite reports from several specialised sites earlier in the week suggesting a favourable decision by management, no confirmation had been made.
The Polish site ESCSpot, which covers Eurovision news, published an email on Monday from an RTBF producer stating that “Belgium will indeed be present at Eurovision 2026,” without further comment.
Contacted by Belga, the public broadcaster clarified that the “RTBF’s participation is not confirmed” at this time. Discussions following the last Eurovision edition, involving both RTBF and VRT, are ongoing within the European Broadcasting Union, according to a spokesperson.
In May, after the previous Eurovision edition, Flemish public broadcaster VRT placed a question mark against its participation due to controversies surrounding Israel’s involvement and concerns about public voting, which particularly benefited the Israeli contestant.
For its part, the RTBF expressed willingness to “work” on improving the voting system and the contest in general.
The two Belgian public broadcasters alternate in selecting Belgium’s Eurovision entry each year. The next selection will come from the French-speaking group.
While formal confirmation of participation may take several months, the RTBF admits that preparations for a Belgian entry are underway.
“To anticipate possible participation in 2026, production teams are working to select the potential candidate to represent Belgium,” the spokesperson said.
