Organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have updated their rules to state that if a country involved in an armed conflict wins the competition, it will be ineligible to host it the following year.

Axar.az reports, citing BBC, that the amendment was approved by the contest's governing body, following feedback from participating broadcasters after Eurovision 2026 in Vienna.

It states that winning countries will also be disqualified from hosting if a "sensitive geopolitical situation" affects the "security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region".

The update will be interpreted as a reaction to Israel's continued presence at the contest, amid criticism of its military actions in Gaza and the Middle East.

It should be noted that Ukraine won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022. Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, it was not possible to hold the contest in Ukraine in 2023. As a result, Eurovision 2023 was held in Liverpool, United Kingdom.