“Eurovision” Expands Beyond Europe: New Contestant Announced
2 July 03:45
The Canadian national broadcaster, in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union, announced that the country will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time. The country’s debut will take place in 2027 in Bulgaria, which won the right to host the next contest after singer DARA’s victory with the song “Bangaranga,” according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
Canada will be represented by a contestant selected by the national public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada. The format for selecting the performer and song will be announced later in 2026.
Canada will become the first new country to participate in Eurovision since Australia, which made its debut in the contest in 2015.
Canada to Make Its Debut at Eurovision 2027
The Canadian representative will perform at the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in the spring of 2027 in Bulgaria.
According to the contest rules, Canada will have to compete in one of the two semifinals. The country will not receive an automatic spot in the final.
Traditionally, the following qualify for the final without participating in the semifinals:
- the host country;
- France;
- Germany;
- Italy;
- Spain;
- Great Britain.
Canada will compete under the same conditions as most other participants.
“Canada will be the first new country to join the song contest since Australia in 2015 and will compete in next year’s semifinal,” the EBU noted.
Why Canada was granted the right to participate
Participation became possible after the national broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada gained full membership in the European Broadcasting Union.
The decision was made at the 96th EBU General Assembly in Prague.
Prior to this, CBC/Radio-Canada had held associate member status with the organization since 1950. The Canadian broadcaster has collaborated with its European counterparts in the following areas:
- journalism;
- content sharing;
- technology;
- broadcasting standards;
- combating disinformation;
- international program production.
Full membership has opened the door for CBC/Radio-Canada to officially send a representative to the Eurovision Song Contest.
The EBU amended its membership rules
To admit CBC/Radio-Canada, the European Broadcasting Union revised its own statutes.
The new model allows for full membership to be granted to public broadcasters from countries outside Europe, provided they meet the established criteria.
Specifically, these include:
- the existence of a public broadcasting system;
- compliance with the Council of Europe’s basic standards;
- editorial independence;
- adherence to professional journalistic standards;
- the state’s formal observer status with the Council of Europe.
Canada meets these requirements, which is why its national broadcaster has become a full member of the EBU.
Following CBC/Radio-Canada’s accession, the European Broadcasting Union now brings together 115 media organizations from 57 countries.
Statement from CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada President and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard called the upcoming debut an opportunity to showcase Canadian artists on one of the world’s most famous music stages.
According to her, this participation will also allow Canadian fans not only to watch the contest and vote, but also to support their country’s representative.
The announcement was symbolically made on July 1—Canada Day.
“Our participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, starting next year in Bulgaria, will allow Canadian talent to make a name for themselves on one of the world’s most legendary music stages,” Bouchard said.
Why Canada Is Interested in Eurovision
The European Broadcasting Union noted that Canadian audiences’ interest in the contest has been steadily growing.
During “Eurovision 2026,” Canada:
- was among the top three countries with the highest voting activity in the “Rest of the World” category;
- was among the leaders in the number of tickets purchased outside Europe;
- sent a large number of viewers to Vienna;
- voted actively in the semifinals and the final.
For several years now, Canadians have been able to participate in the international online voting as part of the “Rest of the World” category.
Following its debut, the country will have its own national vote and its own representative.
Why Canada Can Participate in the European Contest
The name “Eurovision” does not mean that the contest is limited solely to the geographical territory of Europe.
The main requirement is the participation of a broadcaster that holds the necessary status within the European Broadcasting Union and complies with the contest’s rules.
That is why many countries whose territory is partially or entirely located outside of geographical Europe have been participating in Eurovision for many years.
Among them are:
- Israel;
- Armenia;
- Azerbaijan;
- Georgia;
- Cyprus;
- Australia.
Canada became the first North American country to gain permanent participation rights through its national broadcaster’s full membership in the EBU.
How does Canada’s debut differ from Australia’s participation?
Australia made its Eurovision debut in 2015 as a specially invited participant in the anniversary contest.
Subsequently, the invitation was extended, and the country became a permanent participant. The Australian broadcaster SBS, however, remained an associate member of the EBU for a long time.
Canada’s situation is different.
CBC/Radio-Canada has been granted full membership in the European Broadcasting Union. Therefore, its right to participate stems from the broadcaster’s new status, rather than solely from a special invitation from the organizers.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
Canadian artists have already won at Eurovision
Although Canada has not previously participated as a separate country, Canadian performers have already left a notable mark on the contest’s history.
The most famous example is Celine Dion.
In 1988, the Canadian singer represented Switzerland with the song “Ne partez pas sans moi” and won by a margin of just one point.
Over the years, artists of Canadian origin have also performed for:
- France;
- Switzerland;
- Luxembourg;
- Greece;
- Cyprus;
- other countries.
Eurovision Director Martin Green made a special mention of Celine Dion while welcoming Canada to the Eurovision family.
Where will Eurovision 2027 take place?
The next contest will be held in Bulgaria.
The country earned the right to host the contest after DARA’s victory at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna.
As of the announcement of Canada’s debut, the host city has not yet been named. It will be determined after evaluating bids from potential candidates.
Possible requirements for the city include:
- a large concert arena;
- a sufficient number of hotels;
- convenient transportation links;
- an international airport or access to one;
- a venue for a press center;
- the capacity to accommodate delegations and thousands of fans;
- adequate infrastructure and security.
Who Won “Eurovision 2026”
Bulgarian singer DARA won the 70th anniversary contest with the song “Bangaranga.”
The final took place on May 16 in Vienna.
Bulgaria scored 516 points:
- 204 points from the professional jury;
- 312 points from the public.
DARA took first place in both the jury vote and the televote. This was Bulgaria’s first victory in the contest’s history.
The margin over second place was 173 points—the largest in Eurovision history under the current scoring system and the largest overall margin of victory in the contest’s history.
“Eurovision 2026” Set New Records
According to the EBU, the contest in Vienna was watched by approximately 132 million people across 35 television markets.
The viewership share for the Grand Final was 42.6%, and among viewers aged 15 to 24, it was 54.8%.
Official Eurovision content on social media garnered over 2.75 billion views this season.
The live stream of the final on YouTube reached 5.43 million unique viewers.
Canada’s participation could further expand the contest’s audience in North America.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
