Canada will take part in Eurovision Song Contest 2027The country becomes the first new participant since Australia joined the contest in 2015.56 mins agoEurope

Canada will take part in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, organisers have announced.

It becomes the first new country to join since Australia in 2015, and follows a turbulent year where long-standing competitors such as Ireland and Spain pulled out over Israel’s participation.

The path for Canada to compete was cleared last week, when the country’s public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which stages the annual competition.

The country can already claim one winner. Quebec-born Celine Dion represented Switzerland in the 1988 contest, and took the trophy with her song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi.

According to organisers, Canada will debut at next year’s semi-finals in Bulgaria.

CBC/Radio-Canada will unveil details on how Canada’s entry will be selected later this year.

Canada is far from the first non-European country to join the contest; Israel and Australia regularly compete, and Morocco competed in 1980.

The Carney government said in November that it was working with the CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, “to explore participation in Eurovision”.

His government’s budget included C$150m (£80m) in funding for the broadcaster.

Eurovision’s rules state that participation in the contest is open to countries with broadcasting organisations that are members of the EBU.

Before Thursday, the CBC had been an “associate member”.

“Canada’s voice in this community makes us stronger,” Noel Curran, director general of the EBU, said.

It is still uncertain whether members who boycotted the 2026 contest will participate next year.

Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain all withdrew over the European Broadcasting Union’s (EBU’s) decision to allow Israel to participate.

Speaking ahead of this year’s contest in Vienna, Eurovision director Martin Green said the door was open for broadcasters to return.

“We’ve got 35 members of our family here, and that’s enough to have a big party,” he told BBC News. “But, you know, five [are absent] and we miss them.

“When this show is over, I know we’ll pick up the dialogue and we’ll see what comes.”

This year’s event was won by Bulgarian pop star Dara, with her song Bangaranga. As a result, the 2027 contest will be held in Sofia.