Canada to Debut at Eurovision 2027 While Spain’s Return Remains Unresolved
Canada will make its Eurovision debut at the 2027 edition in Bulgaria — the first country to win the contest the year Spain boycotted it. Public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada was admitted as a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at the organisation’s 96th General Assembly in Prague on June 25, and confirmed its participation in the contest days later. It is the first new country to join Eurovision since Australia debuted in 2015.
Canada will compete from the semi-finals — like the majority of participating countries — and will only reach the grand final if it qualifies. According to EBU data, at the 70th edition held in May in Austria, Canada was the third-largest voter in the world among countries outside Europe, and its citizens bought more tickets to the show than those of any other non-European country. The country also has a historic Eurovision tie: Québec-born Céline Dion won the contest for Switzerland in 1988. CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard said the participation will give Canadian talent the chance to shine “on one of the most iconic music stages in the world”.
Spain’s future in the contest, however, remains unresolved. RTVE withdrew from the 2026 edition along with broadcasters from the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland, in protest at Israel’s continued participation amid the conflict in Gaza. Eurovision 2026 in Austria became the edition with the highest number of absent countries in the contest’s history and lost 35 million viewers compared to the previous year. If the EBU’s position on Israel’s participation does not change ahead of Bulgaria 2027, Spain could miss a second consecutive contest. Separately, Catalan public broadcaster 3Cat (TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio) was admitted to the EBU as an associate member — a category that does not grant access to Eurovision participation.
