36 countries confirmed for Eurovision 2027 in Burgas
The European Broadcasting Union has confirmed 36 broadcasters for next May's contest at Arena Burgas, with Canada debuting and North Macedonia returning.
Illustration: AI-generated image
Thirty-six countries will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Burgas next spring, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed on Wednesday. The 71st edition will be held at Arena Burgas from 11 to 15 May 2027.
The list is one longer than at the last contest in Vienna. It covers public broadcasters with a combined audience the EBU puts at 600 million people.
Newcomers and returnees
Canada will compete for the first time, after its public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada became a full EBU member in July 2026. North Macedonia returns after four years away.
Some countries are still undecided. According to Mediapool, Spain and Slovenia have not yet made a final decision, and two other countries that boycotted the 2026 contest over Israel's participation have not confirmed whether they will return. Iceland and Ireland are reportedly likely to keep their boycott, while the Netherlands has already said it will not take part this year either.
How the contest will work
Thirty-one entries will be split between two semi-finals. Juries and viewers together will pick ten songs from the first semi-final on 11 May and ten from the second on 13 May.
Those 20 will join Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, who are already through, in the grand final on Saturday 15 May.
The draw that decides which semi-final each song performs in will take place in Burgas in January.
Tickets and the Eurovillage
Tickets for nine events, including the live shows and the rehearsals performed in front of an audience, will go on sale early next year. Details will appear at eurovision.com/tickets. Anyone hoping to buy needs to register first with Eurofan, the contest's free official fan membership programme.
The Eurovision Village, the festival-style fan zone, will be built on the site of a former port warehouse, according to earlier reports.
For Burgas, the news marks another step in a long preparation. The government has set aside close to €5 million for the city, and €1.2 million has been earmarked for accompanying events. Work to adjust the acoustics of the arena has also begun.
If you are planning to visit, May is still a way off, but registering with Eurofan and watching the ticket announcement early in 2027 is a sensible start.
