Netherlands withdraws from Eurovision 2027 following decision U-turn

The Netherlands has decided not to compete in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, according to reports by Euronews, the BBC, and thejournal.ie. Dutch public broadcasting umbrella group NPO reversed a previous decision to return to the event, citing sensitivities concerning the inclusion of Israel in the line-up. Euronews reported that the announcement reverses a prior choice to join the competition. [1][7][8]

Euronews reported that Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS initially announced in August that it would not participate because Israel was competing. However, NPO later decided to re-enter the contest before making its latest U-turn. The move to return had met with broad internal pushback, including a letter signed by around 400 NPO employees demanding that the organization reconsider its position. [1]

The latest withdrawal was also reported by Metro.co.uk, HuffPost UK, AOL.com, and The Jewish Chronicle, confirming that the country made a second U-turn regarding the contest. The Irish News added that Eurovision organisers stated they were deeply sorry following the decision by the Netherlands to pull out of the 2027 competition. [3][6][9][10][12]