Is 2026 finally Iron Maiden’s year to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Despite being a staple of British rock and metal, Iron Maiden aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame – in fact, they’ve been rejected twice already. However, they’ve been put forward to join the Hall yet again, sitting amongst the nominees for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026. Well, third time lucky…
As it stands, Iron Maiden have made it through to the final round of nominations. They sit alongside some fierce competition, with the likes of Jeff Buckley, Billy Idol, Joy Division/New Order, and even Oasis also hoping to snag a spot in the Hall Of Fame.
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To be eligible for nomination, a minimum of 25 years must have passed since an artist’s first commercial release. With Iron Maiden’s self-titled debut dropping in 1980, that means the band have been eligible for over 20 years – it’s fair to say their induction to the Hall has been a long time coming.
1,200 artists, historians, and members of the music industry will decide who makes the cut. There is also a fan vote currently running on the Hall’s website. Once a decision has been reached, the Class of 2026 will be announced in late April.
In the past, Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson hasn’t been very fussed about the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. On his spoken word world tour in 2018, he criticised the institution: “I actually think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is an utter and complete load of bollocks, to be honest with you,” he said [via Consequence of Sound].
“It’s run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn’t know rock ‘n’ roll if it hit them in the face,” he continued. “They need to stop taking Prozac and start drinking fucking beer.”
He’s also gone on record saying he’d “refuse” to be inducted. “I’m really happy we’re not [in the Rock Hall] and I would never want to be there,” he told The Jerusalem Post in 2018. “If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse – they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”
“Rock & roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
Regardless, Tom Morello has been working hard to get Iron Maiden in the hallowed Hall. Morello has been a member of the since 2014, making it his mission to get more metal acts into the Hall Of Fame.
“A lot of great bands have gotten into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame more recently, in part because they’ve had stronger advocates in the room,” the guitarist told Guitar World in 2024. “I’m one of those advocates… This year I’m all in on Maiden.”
“I know they don’t care,” he added. “[But] I don’t care that they don’t care, because I think it’s the place where they belong.”
So far, he’s helped get Randy Rhoads posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. He also pushed for the committee to induct Ozzy Osbourne for his solo work in October 2024, alongside his pre-existing nod of respect when Black Sabbath were inducted in 2026. “I have to give credit to the Hall of Fame – they put me in the room because I complained so damn much!” he said.
Surprisingly, nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 also include the likes of Mariah Carey and Lauryn Hill. While the pair are magnificent artists, with Carey’s pop and R&B topping charts and Hill’s 1998 The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill transformative effect on hip-hop, they’re not often associated with ‘Rock and Roll’.
Kiss legend Gene Simmons recently went on record saying that the Rock Hall should be reserved for rock acts. “Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame – nor does opera or symphony orchestras,” he told the Legends N Leaders podcast.
However, the critique lead to Public Enemy’s Chuck D telling TMZ that Simmons was ignoring the “roll” half the Hall’s name. “Everything else other than rock, when rock ‘n’ roll splintered in the ’60s, is the roll… Kiss are rock gods, but they don’t have a lot of roll to them.”
Regardless, Iron Maiden have an exciting year ahead of them. Their 50th anniversary is being properly marked this year with May documentary, Burning Ambition. The same month, they’re embarking on the second European leg of their Run For Your Lives World Tour.
You can cast your vote for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 now.
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