Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Canada will make its Eurovision debut alongside at least 35 other countries at next year’s contest, organisers say, with Ireland and the Netherlands boycotting over Israel’s participation and Spain, Slovenia and Iceland still to announce.
Australia and 35 other countries’ broadcasters will send their entry to the 71st edition of the contest in the Bulgarian city of Burgas in May, one participant more than in 2026, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said.
Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia boycotted this year’s contest, which drew a global audience of 130 million, after calling for Israel’s expulsion over its military offensive in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israel said at the time there was a global smear campaign against it.
Israel’s KAN broadcaster has confirmed its participation while Ireland and the Netherlands have confirmed they will again skip the 2027 contest
RTVE in Spain and RTVSLO in Slovenia have until December to confirm, the EBU said.
At the end of September, the board of Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV signalled its participation was unlikely but has not made a final decision
“In a world that can feel increasingly divided, it brings audiences together through music, across borders, languages and cultures, and that matters now more than ever,” Eurovision Song Contest director Martin Green said.
Apart from newcomer Canada, the contest lineup includes North Macedonia – which returns to the competition for the first time since 2022 – host Bulgaria and France, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Australia.
The EBU also highlighted the contest’s role in launching music careers, saying the 35 songs from this year’s competition generated nearly 600 million streams across audio and video platforms between January and August.
The 2026 winning song, Bangaranga by Dara, topped the charts in 11 countries, reached the top five in another five and entered the top 10 in five more.
The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will take place in May 2027 in Burgas, on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
Tickets for the nine shows are expected to go on sale early next year.
with DPA
