Canada will officially compete in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the first new country to join the competition since Australia entered in 2015.
The announcement follows the admission of CBC/Radio-Canada as a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organization that stages Eurovision. Until last week, the Canadian broadcaster held only associate member status, making it ineligible to participate.
Canada will make its debut in the semi-finals of the 2027 contest, which will be hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria, after Bulgarian pop star Dara won the 2026 competition with her song Bangaranga.
CBC/Radio-Canada is expected to announce later this year how Canada’s Eurovision representative will be selected.
Canada already has a connection to Eurovision history. Quebec-born Celine Dion won the contest in 1988 while representing Switzerland with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi. Other Canadian artists who have appeared at Eurovision include Natasha St-Pier, who represented France in 2001, and La Zarra, who represented France in 2023.
Canada’s participation comes after a turbulent 2026 contest, during which broadcasters from Ireland, Spain, Iceland, Netherlands and Slovenia withdrew over the EBU’s decision to allow Israel to compete. It remains unclear whether those countries will return for the 2027 edition.
The Canadian government had previously announced it was working with CBC/Radio-Canada to explore Eurovision participation, while also increasing funding for the public broadcaster. Under Eurovision rules, only broadcasters that are full EBU members are eligible to compete.
EBU Director General Noel Curran welcomed Canada’s inclusion, saying the country’s participation strengthens the Eurovision community. Meanwhile, Eurovision Director Martin Green said discussions would continue with broadcasters that skipped the 2026 contest in hopes of bringing them back for future editions.
