In a recent interview with a French podcaster, the French Eurovision head of delegation, Alexandra Redde-Amiel, said that “41 countries” compete in Eurovision. With much discussion going on about the participants for Vienna 2026, and with the return of several countries, could this be an optimistic hint towards even more new competitors?
“41 countries competing” – slip-up or general figure?
The interview was published this week, and recorded earlier, by Johanna Cohen, a French director, acting teacher, and coach, on her podcast. She discussed Alexandra Redde-Amiel’s career as a producer, as a woman in a very masculine world of TV, and some parts of the interview focused on Eurovision and Junior Eurovision.
Asked about France’s fortunes and lack of victory in the past few years, she answered this:
I analyse things but at the same time I remain positive so I keep believing in [our chances]. 41 countries competing, so of course 1 chance out of 41 to be able to win. I believe that perseverance will make us win.
Alexandra Redde-Amiel in Johanna COhen’s podcast, october 2025
The figure was said quite naturally, but as fans will know, last year’s Eurovision Song Contest only had 37 countries participating. And the figure for 2026 remain uncertain, with Israel’s participation being a tipping point. Could this be a “generic” figure? It is possible, but it is a very specific one (instead of a round 40) and the last time it was reached was in 2019. The term was also a general, present tense: not “41 countries will participate”, but not “up to 41 countries could participate” either.
Three returns, and a mysterious fourth?
In the last few days, three countries confirmed that they would return to the Contest next year: Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. Assuming everybody else from 2025 come back (which is not a given, as we will see below), we would still be one country short of this potential figure of 41.
This could thus hint at a fourth newcomer or returning country. In terms of previous participants, little move is expected from the likes of Turkey and Hungary, with the political situation relatively unchanged there. Kazakhstan could be a possible newcomer, having already taken part in Junior Eurovision, but there has been no information confirming any movement in this direction.
A potential returnee could be Monaco, having launched a new broadcaster, MonacoTV, in 2023. Plans to merge it with “Info Monaco” (a broadcaster created in 1995 after Television Monte-Carlo turned into a thematic French TV channel) for September 2025 were announced but both channels still exist separately, and there has not been any news on this. TV Monaco, unlike Info Monaco, is a member of the EBU and even had its Director-General, Nathalie Biancolli, appointed to the EBU Executive Board.
But with new elements coming from across the Atlantic, it seems that Canada may be a surprising frontrunner. The Canadian government publicly stated in its draft for the 2025 budget that they were working with public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada to take part in Eurovision, with the Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne even saying that talks had been initiated by European actors (likely the EBU).
Martin Green, Eurovision Director, confirmed to the Eurotrip Podcast that talks were being held with Canada and CBC/Radio-Canada, but were in early stages.
The question of Israel and the optimism of 41 countries
Even if a fourth country were to return or debut, a list of 41 remains an optimistic vision, considering the debates around Israel’s presence and the situation in the Middle-East.
As of now, at least six participants from 2025 have indicated that they may or would not participate in Vienna 2026 if Israel remains in the contest: the broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Slovenia clearly indicated that they would boycott, while those of Iceland and Belgium have stated that they would wait for this subject to be clarified before committing to participate.
With no consensus on the topic, the EBU first called an exceptional General Assembly for November in order to let members vote on Israel’s participation. The vote was later cancelled and postponed to the regular General Assembly of December.
With this in mind, several scenarios are possible:
Israel’s exclusion from the contest
This was a possible outcome of the cancelled November vote, especially if all EBU members (and not just Eurovision participants) can have a say. It is extremely unlikely that Israel would withdraw voluntarily, considering the importance the Contest has for the country’s soft power and political messaging. The only possibility of their absence would be a “forced” removal, either by the General Assembly, or on disciplinary grounds (which does not seem likely).
Israel’s exclusion would guarantee the presence of the six broadcasters previously mentioned, but with one less country, it would requite two additional new countries on top of Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova to reach 41. Canada and Monaco?
Israel remains and Eurovision faces a boycott
Should Israel remain, four broadcasters have promised to withdraw, and two more could follow, as described above. This would put the total of participating countries at 34 (37-6+3), with no possibility to reach 41. This would also be the lowest number of participants ever in the “semi-final” era, the lowest so far being 36 in 2004.
Israel remains and nobody leaves
An unlikely scenario a few weeks ago, this would require a change of mind from several broadcasters who have already publicly stated their opposition to Israel’s participation. But it is the most likely scenario to get us to 41, with just one new country. The “mainstream” political climate surrounding the situation may be less volatile than it was a few months ago, with the current ceasefire, but everything remains fragile.
Should the “41” reflect the expectations of Alexandra Redde-Amiel or France Télévisions, it would be a particularly “optimistic” scenario for them and for the EBU, assuming everyone would remain and four countries would accept to enter. But it would be aligned with the EBU’s goal for next year: getting as many countries as possible on stage for the 70th anniversary, while showing an “ideal” version of an apolitical contest where everyone is “United by music” and where (geo)politics have no place.
What do you think about Alexandra Redde-Amiel’s comments? Can there be 41 countries in Eurovision 2026? Can broadcasters who threatened to boycott change their minds? Could Israel not take part and two more countries join? Tell us more in the comments below!
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