Canada to compete in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest - politico.eu

Joining the competition is an aim of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who allocated C$150 million to the national broadcaster in 2025 with that goal in mind. Listen AI generated Text-to-speech Copy Link Copied Share via email Share on X Share on WhatsApp Share on LinkedIn The Eurovision Song Contest logo is formed by 3,000 drones during a show in Vienna on April 27, 2026. | Joe Klamar/AFP via Getty Images July 1, 2026 3:27 pm CET By Jonas Loesel The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the European Broadcasting Union announced Wednesday that Canada will participate in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest. The news follows last week’s announcement that the national broadcaster had officially joined the contest’s organizing body, the EBU. Canada had been an associate member of the body since 1950, but until now it had not participated in the song contest because full membership is a prerequisite for taking part. Joining Eurovision is a goal of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and in 2025 his government allocated C$150 million to the national broadcaster to “explore participation in Eurovision.” “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,” Canadian Broadcasting Corporation chief Marie-Philippe Bouchard said. “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.” Canada is not the first non-European country to join the song contest. Israel first took part in 1973, and Morocco participated in 1980. In 2015, Australia became the only country outside the European Broadcasting Area to take part in the contest. Israel’s ongoing inclusion in the contest has proved contentious, with a number of EBU members boycotting this year’s Eurovision over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. The winning country hosts the following year’s contest, and Israel placed second to Bulgaria in the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest, narrowly avoiding what would have been a nightmare scenario for the EBU. Although Canada has never competed in the contest before, many Canadian citizens have participated while representing different EBU members. The most notable is Céline Dion, who won the contest in 1988 while representing Switzerland. Related Tags Israeli-Palestinian conflict Related Countries Australia Canada Israel Morocco Related People Mark Carney Our readers read next Erdoğan rejects Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition, points to Gaza deaths Jun 30 2 mins read Canada’s heart might go on … to Eurovision Jun 26 2 mins read Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace will hit the reset button in Cyprus Jun 24 2 mins read More from Jonas Loesel Lithuania to lift ban on nukes, president says The country’s constitution bans nuclear weapons and foreign military bases, but its parliamentary leaders have agreed that this provision is now “outdated.” The inaugural U-15 World Cup presents another chance for Russia to make its way back into global sporting events. The warning came during a press conference with his Irish counterpart on the first day of Ireland’s European Council Presidency. The May 2 runoff date follows the country’s Labor Day celebrations, which are marked by union demonstrations across France.