After sitting out the 2026 contest, the Netherlands will compete at the Eurovision Song Contest in Burgas, Bulgaria next May, with the NPO taking charge of the Dutch entry instead of AVROTROS.
The NPO confirmed the news on Wednesday afternoon, NOS reports. The semi-finals are set for May 11 and 13, with the grand final on May 15, and you can watch it all on NPO 1 or stream it on NPO Start.
Who’s choosing the Dutch act this time?
For years, AVROTROS was the broadcaster behind the Dutch Eurovision entry. That’s now changed: the entry will be a joint project of the Dutch public broadcasters, coordinated by the NPO.
A quick explainer for newcomers: the Netherlands doesn’t have one single public broadcaster. Instead, the NPO works as an umbrella organisation for a group of omroepen (broadcasters), and AVROTROS is one of them.
The NPO is now putting together a team that will select the artist and guide them through the process. Who will represent the Netherlands (or, as the Dutch call the contest, the Songfestival) will be announced later.
NOS, the Dutch public news broadcaster, will handle the previews, the live coverage of all three shows, and the commentary. According to the NPO, this fits the NOS’s legal duty to report on major (international) events.
Why the NPO wants back in
After AVROTROS stepped away, the NPO held talks with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), the organisation that runs Eurovision. Together, they agreed to put the contest’s original purpose back in the spotlight, according to NPO board chair Jet de Ranitz.
That purpose dates back to the years after the Second World War, when Eurovision was created to bring people across Europe together.
De Ranitz acknowledged that taking part stirs up mixed feelings in the Netherlands. The NPO has firmly asked the EBU to make that sense of connection a key part of the event again, given the current climate of war, geopolitical unrest and polarisation, NOS reports.
“We’re looking for that connection again, by paying attention to what’s happening in the world and making room to talk about it,” De Ranitz said. “To help shape that course, we want to be part of the Eurovision Song Contest again as the Dutch public broadcaster.”
Why did AVROTROS pull out?
AVROTROS announced last month that it would no longer take responsibility for the Dutch entry. The broadcaster said the contest had lost its neutral character because one participating country, Israel, is still involved in a major military conflict.
It pointed to the severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and continuing attacks on press freedom. In the broadcaster’s view, these issues have made the contest more and more divisive in recent years.
It’s the second year in a row that AVROTROS has walked away. The broadcaster also skipped the 2026 edition after it became clear the EBU would not exclude Israel.
AVROTROS has confirmed it won’t be part of the new team. “We said goodbye to Eurovision three weeks ago after a careful ethical decision based on our own values,” the broadcaster said. “It’s now up to the other public broadcasters to make their own decision.”
Will be interesting to see which artists will line-up for this edition we reckon!
Not every country is coming back
The Netherlands wasn’t the only country missing from the 2026 contest. Slovenia, Spain, Iceland and Ireland also decided not to send an artist.
Ireland has already said it will stay away again in 2027. In Spain, public broadcaster RTVE is considering another boycott.
Are you happy to see the Netherlands back on the Eurovision stage, or should the Dutch have stayed home? Tell us what you think in the comments!
