36 countries confirmed for Eurovision 2027 in Burgas, with Canada debuting and Spain and Slovenia undecided

Thirty-six broadcasters confirmed

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, that at least 36 broadcasters will take part in the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, which will be staged in Burgas on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. The EBU said the line-up represents about 600 million people and is one more country than the 2026 edition. The confirmed list includes Portugal, Germany, Poland, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Greece, along with Bulgaria as host. Dara won the 2026 contest with 'Bangaranga', which is why the 2027 event is being held in Bulgaria for the first time.

Canada debuts and North Macedonia returns

Canada will appear on the Eurovision stage for the first time. Its public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, became a full member of the EBU in July 2026. North Macedonia comes back after an absence of four years. The EBU's own statement on the line-up was also reported by Deutsche Welle, which noted that the Canadian debut is the first in the contest's history.

Spain, Slovenia and the Israel question

Spain's RTVE and Slovenia's RTVSLO have not yet decided whether to take part. The EBU has given both broadcasters until December to confirm their participation. Both countries boycotted the 2026 contest in Vienna in protest over the Gaza war and Israel's participation. The Netherlands, Ireland and Iceland will also be absent in 2027 because of Israel's participation. The Dutch public broadcaster NPO cited the sensitive nature of the issue, while Ireland and the Netherlands skipped the 2026 contest for the same reason. The Czech Republic has announced it will not take part, citing budget adjustments, and Slovakia will not return because of financial and programme constraints at its public broadcaster. Russia's broadcasters were excluded from the EBU after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the membership of Belarus's state broadcaster BTRK was ended in 2021.

Schedule and format

The contest runs from 11 to 15 May 2027, with two semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and the grand final on 15 May. Nine shows are planned in total, and tickets are expected to go on sale early in 2027. The three evenings will be held at the Arena Burgas, with Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT as host. Twenty songs will reach the final from the two semi-finals, ten from each, and they will join five countries that have already qualified, including host Bulgaria. The final will be decided by national juries and by viewers in participating countries as well as viewers elsewhere in the world.

Bangaranga's streaming run

The 35 songs from the 2026 contest drew almost 600 million streams across audio and video platforms between January and August. Dara's winning song reached first place on the charts in 11 countries, a top five position in five more, and a top ten placement in five additional countries.

Number one11

Top five, not first5

Top ten, outside top five5

Number one

11

Top five, not first

5

Top ten, outside top five

5

Data from the article text

Portugal's national selection

RTP said the Festival da Canção returns on 6 March 2027 with 16 songs in competition. Applications open on 1 November. The winning song will represent RTP at the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria in May 2027.