Canada will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in Bulgaria next year.
The 71st edition of the show is set to go down in Sofia next May, after Dara was victorious in the 2026 contest for her home country with her song bhangra-inflected earworm ‘Bangaranga’.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, and broadcasters CBC/Radio-Canada confirmed on Wednesday (July 1) that Canada will make its debut at the contest in 2027.
It will make Canada the first new country to join Eurovision since Australia in 2015, and it will compete in the semi-finals. CBC/Radio-Canada will reveal details on how the country’s entry will be selected later this year.
Although Eurovision is traditionally associated with Europe, countries do not need to be geographically European to compete, with eligibility instead tied to EBU membership. Israel has competed since 1973, while Australia has been taking part since 2015.
Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, said: “Our participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, starting next year in Bulgaria, will allow Canadian talent to be showcased on one of the most storied music stages in the world.
“It will also allow fans in Canada to continue watching and voting in the Song Contest, as they have done for years – with the added thrill of seeing their own country represented on the Eurovision stage.”
Martin Green CBE, Director of the Eurovision Song Contest at the EBU, added that Canada’s participation is “a further sign that, while born in Europe, the Contest continues to welcome the world”.
Canada already has a significant link to Eurovision history, with Quebec-born Céline Dion winning the 1988 contest for Switzerland with ‘Ne partez pas sans moi’. Natasha St-Pier, who was raised in New Brunswick, also represented France in 2001, while Quebec-born La Zarra did the same in 2023.
This year’s event was not without controversy, with Israel’s participation once again proving divisive, and the country’s Noam Bettan finishing in second place. There were audible boos in the hall when their high score was announced.
This year’s contest saw several countries – Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland and Spain – boycott the event in protest at Israel’s inclusion, despite the nation’s military action in Gaza.
During the semi-finals, Bettan received a mixed response from the audience, with some cheering the singer while others booed and shouted anti-Israel slogans. One person in particular could be heard saying “Stop the genocide” during the performance.
Amnesty International had called for Israel to be suspended from the contest, criticising the EBU for not excluding the country as it did with Russia in 2022.
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of waging genocide, and denies committing any war crimes, maintaining that its operations are lawful acts of self-defence following Hamas’ attack on Israeli citizens at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 2023, which killed over 1,100 people and saw 250 taken as hostages.
Pressure to exclude Israel from the competition also came from No Music For Genocide, who issued an open letter signed by over 1,100 cultural workers and artists, calling for fans to boycott this year’s Eurovision unless Israel was banned from participating.
Irish broadcaster RTÉ aired the Eurovision-themed episode of Father Ted in place of the final, while Boy George featured in the San Marino entry alongside Senhit, but failed to qualify.
The UK’s entry – Look Mum No Computer’s ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’ – finished at the bottom of the table in 25th place, picking up only one point from the jury scores and zero from the public. After the result, he said: “We all tried our hardest, regardless of what is against us.”