Dutch pull out of 'no longer neutral' Eurovision

Deutsche Welle · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Aug 24, 2026 · 382 words · By Natalie Muller

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What to know about Dutch pull out of 'no longer neutral' Eurovision

Dutch pull out of 'no longer neutral' Eurovision August 24, 2026 Dutch state broadcaster Avrotros said on Monday that the Netherlands will not be taking part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The event can "no longer be considered neutral," given the war in Gaza, it said.

Common ground

Eurovision boycotts This year, the Netherlands was joined by Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia in staging the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history in protest at Israel's participation.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Dutch pull out of 'no longer neutral' Eurovision?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that According to the Eurovision website, it was the first competition entry to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dw.com/en/netherlands-eurovision-boycott-israel-gaza/a-78482430?maca…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “According to the Eurovision website, it was the first competition entry to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources (Al-Monitor and the Eurovision website/official record) confirm that 'Arcade' was the first Eurovision entry to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify.

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web search NEUTRAL — Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally. It became the first Eurovision entry to reach one billion streams on Spotify, …
https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260923-dutch-to-r…

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web search NEUTRAL — A fourth win came courtesy of Teach-In’s Ding-A-Dong in 1975, but it was Duncan Laurence who took Dutch success to new heights when in 2019 his song Arcade won the Contest, topped charts globally, and…
https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/countries…

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web search NEUTRAL — "Arcade" is a song by Dutch singer-songwriter Duncan Laurence. It was written and composed by Laurence, Joel Sjöö, Wouter Hardy, and Will Knox. The song was released on 7 March 2019 by Spark Records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcade_(song)

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Claim 2: “Dutch state broadcaster Avrotros said on Monday that the Netherlands will not be taking part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC).”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by a cross-reference (Flipboard) and Wikipedia's entry for the 2027 contest, which confirms the event is being organized in Bulgaria, while the cross-reference specifically mentions the Netherlands' non-participation.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Broadcasters from fifty-two countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since its inaugural edition in 1956, with winning songs coming from twenty-eight of those countries. The contest,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_in_the_Eurov…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 was the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 12 and 14 May and a final on 16 May 2026, held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2026

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2027 is the upcoming 71st edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It will consist of two semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and a final on 15 May 2027, held at Arena Burgas in Bu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2027

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “They have won it five times since then, most recently in 2019 with Duncan Laurence and his song "Arcade."”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the Netherlands has won five times and that the most recent win was Duncan Laurence with 'Arcade' in 2019.

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web search NEUTRAL — It has won Eurovision five times, most recently with Duncan Laurence and Arcade in 2019. The Dutch artist and song for Eurovision 2027 will be announced at a later date.
https://www.aussievision.net/post/netherlands-will-return-to…

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web search NEUTRAL — Duncan Laurence represented The Netherlands at the Grand Final of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Arcade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3D-r4ogr7s

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web search NEUTRAL — Eurovision has launched many a career.Their most recent winner was Duncan Laurence, whose song Arcade won the contest in 2019, going on to top charts globally. It became the first Eurovision entry to …
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/09/dutch-resume-eu…

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Claim 4: “The 2027 ESC will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria, after singer Dara won this year's competition in Vienna, Austria.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms the 2027 contest will be held at Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria. Web search results confirm that singer Dara won the 2026 contest in Vienna, Austria, for Bulgaria.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Canada is set to make its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027, represented by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC/Radio-Canada) as the participating broadcaster. It will be the first c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_in_the_Eurovision_Song_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest Asia is an upcoming international song competition modelled after the Eurovision Song Contest, where broadcasters from the Asia-Pacific region will compete representing the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_Asia

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Earlier this month, ESC organizers announced new rules that bar any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Türkiye Today, Break The Web, and another news source) confirm that Eurovision organizers introduced new rules barring countries involved in armed conflict from hosting.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC for short; French: Concours Eurovision de la chanson), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Israel came close to winning the competition in 2025 and 2026, placing second in both events.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent news sources (Deutsche Welle and EuroNews) explicitly state that Israel finished second in both the 2025 and 2026 competitions.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 was the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It consisted of two semi-finals on 13 and 15 May and a final on 17 May 2025, held at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Swi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_2025

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Israel was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with the song "New Day Will Rise", written by Keren Peles and performed by Yuval Raphael. The Israeli participating broadcaster, the Israeli …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_in_the_Eurovision_Song_…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “This year, the Netherlands was joined by Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia in staging the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history in protest at Israel's participation.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent reports from Deutsche Welle confirm that Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Slovenia pulled out of the contest in protest of Israel's participation.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Family policy is a social policy regarding the family.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_policy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a lists of fauna of Europe.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_fauna_of_Europe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Prohibitory traffic signs are traffic signs used to prohibit certain types of manoeuvres or some types of traffic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibitory_traffic_sign

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “The Netherlands took part in the very first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956.”

VERIFIED

Multiple web search results, including a Wikipedia snippet and a detailed entry on the 1956 contest, confirm the Netherlands participated in the inaugural 1956 event with Corry Brokken.

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web search NEUTRAL — CORRY BROKKEN represented the Netherlands at the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in 1956 with “Voorgoed voorbij” (“Over Forever”), a poignant ballad composed and written by Jelle de Vries. The Nethe…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voooJ8aGs8Q

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web search NEUTRAL — The Netherlands held a national final to select the two entrants that Nederlandse Televisie Stichting (NTS), the Dutch broadcaster, would send to the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano, Switz…
https://wiki2.org/en/Netherlands_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Cont…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Eurovision Song Contest 1956, originally titled the Gran premio Eurovisione 1956 della canzone europea.The inaugural Eurovision Song Contest was produced by the Italian-language radio broadcaster …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.