Netherlands confirms Eurovision Song Contest return in 2027 after boycott
Claude represented The Netherlands at Eurovision in 2025 (Getty Images)
The Netherlands will compete at the Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Burgas, Bulgaria, after Dutch broadcaster Avrotros announced it would boycott the show again.
In an press release, Dutch public broadcasting body NPO confirmed an independent team of experts will select and support the country’s entry, with NOS handling broadcast coverage.
NPO said NOS will provide coverage of the semi-finals and final in the Netherlands. The Dutch artist for Eurovision 2027 will be announced later in time, and the shows will be broadcast on NPO 1 and NPO Start.
NPO chair Jet de Ranitz said: “We understand that participation in the Eurovision Song Contest evokes mixed feelings in the Netherlands. We have explicitly asked the EBU to once again make the unifying character of the festival an important part of the event, in recognition of a time of geopolitical unrest, war, and polarisation.”
Eurovision director Martin Green said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome the Netherlands back to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2027.”
Why the Netherlands stepped back
The decision follows AVROTROS withdrawing from Eurovision 2026 over Israel’s participation and later deciding not to return in 2027, handing responsibility back to NPO.
Five countries pulled out of Eurovision 2026 over Israel’s inclusion, with AVROTROS saying it “can no longer justify Israel’s participation with the continued and serious human suffering in Gaza”.
More recently, Ireland confirmed it would be boycotting Eurovision in 2027 again over Israel’s inclusion.
What changes for The Netherlands at Eurovision 2027
From 2027, NPO will coordinate the Dutch entry as a joint project across the public broadcasting system, with an independent team established to select and support the act.
NOS will provide preview programming, coverage and commentary, without being responsible for the entry itself.
NPO’s director of media Jurre Bosman said: “It is important that, as a public broadcaster, we remain part of this unifying European event at this moment in particular, an event that wants to take serious steps towards a format that better reflects the times we live in.”
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