The 70th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest should have been a celebration — a milestone year filled with excitement, unity, and spectacle. Instead, Eurovision 2026 arrives surrounded by tension, withdrawals, questionable decisions, and a growing sense that the festival is entering one of the most fragile moments in its history.

In this second episode of Under the Eurovision Radar, we take a deep dive into everything that defines this strange and uncomfortable edition. We break down the new Eurovision 2026 logo and what its conservative visual identity says about the EBU’s priorities this year. We look at Vienna’s return as host city and the decision to reuse the 2015 venue — a choice that speaks volumes about the need for safety, predictability, and damage control.

We also explore the stage and the surprising retro green room, a visual contrast that reflects the festival’s current identity crisis: a contest trying to move forward while clinging tightly to its past. From there, we examine the lowest participation of the decade, with only 35 countries competing and five notable withdrawals — including Spain and the Netherlands — all tied to the same unresolved issue.

To fill the gaps, the EBU has invited additional countries whose participation is fully funded by Moroccanoil, raising new questions about influence, transparency, and the financial stability of the contest. It’s a patchwork solution that reveals more than it fixes.

And then comes the unavoidable topic: Israel.

Before we can talk about music, before we can enjoy the season, before we can move on… we need to address the elephant in the room. That’s why this episode dedicates a full section to Israel’s trajectory from 2023 to 2026 — a period marked by televote controversies, government‑backed campaigns, diplomatic tensions, and a blocked vote at the EBU Assembly that changed the course of this anniversary edition.

Once that context is clear, we turn to Israel’s 2026 entry itself. We look at the artist, the song, the narrative surrounding it, and the political weight it carries simply by existing in this year’s lineup. Not to sensationalize — but to understand. To put everything on the table. To close this chapter so that the rest of the season can finally breathe.

This episode is not about taking sides. It’s about clarity. About understanding how Eurovision reached this point, why 2026 feels so unstable, and what it means for the contest moving forward.

Because before we talk about melodies, staging, and national finals…we need to understand the cracks beneath the surface.