meanwhile, in Europe
Eurovision 2027: Burgas, Bulgaria
The 71st Eurovision Song Contest will be held at Arena Burgas on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, with semi-finals on 11 and 13 May and the Grand Final on Saturday 15 May 2027. So far 31 countries have said they're in — Canada for the first time — and the first song is chosen on Sunday, 20 December.
- Edition
- The 71st Eurovision Song Contest
- Host city
- Burgas, Bulgaria — announced 13 August 2026
- Venue
- Arena Burgas, opened in 2023
- Semi-finals
- Tuesday 11 May and Thursday 13 May 2027
- Grand Final
- Saturday 15 May 2027
- Host broadcaster
- Bulgarian National Television (BNT)
- Confirmed so far
- 31 countries
- Why Bulgaria
- DARA won Eurovision 2026 in Vienna with “Bangaranga”
15 May in Burgas
– days to
Burgas –h –m to go!!
it's on! live from Burgas
it's over who won?
Who's in so far
31 and countingThese are the broadcasters that have said publicly they will take part. The EBU publishes the final list later in the year, so expect it to grow.
| Country | Broadcaster | How they choose | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania The 28 acts were announced on 9 October. | RTSH | Festivali i Këngës | 20 December 2026 |
| Australia | SBS | Not announced | Not announced |
| Austria | ORF | Internal selection | Not announced |
| Belgium | VRT | Not announced | Not announced |
| Bulgaria hosts Hosts after DARA won in Vienna — Bulgaria’s first victory. | BNT | Not announced | Not announced |
| Canada first time! The first new country since Australia in 2015. The song will use both English and French. | CBC/Radio-Canada | Not announced | Artist due in 2026 |
| Croatia | HRT | Dora | February 2027 |
| Cyprus | CyBC | Not announced | Not announced |
| Denmark | DR | Dansk Melodi Grand Prix | 13 February 2027 |
| Estonia | ERR | Eesti Laul | 30 January 2027 |
| Finland | Yle | Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) | 20 February 2027 |
| Georgia | GPB | Not announced | Not announced |
| Germany | SWR | National final | February 2027 |
| Greece | ERT | Sing for Greece | Not announced |
| Israel | Kan | HaKokhav HaBa (artist) | Not announced |
| Italy A change: the Eurovision act is now picked on its own night rather than offered to the Sanremo winner. | RAI | Sanremo — the fourth night | 19 February 2027 |
| Latvia | LSM | Supernova | 6 February 2027 |
| Lithuania | LRT | Eurovizija.LT | 20 February 2027 |
| Luxembourg | RTL | Luxembourg Song Contest | 30 January 2027 |
| Malta | PBS | Malta Eurovision Song Contest | Not announced |
| Montenegro | RTCG | Not announced | Not announced |
| Netherlands back Back after sitting out 2026. NPO takes over from AVROTROS, which is staying away. | NPO | Not announced | Not announced |
| North Macedonia back Last took part in 2022. | MRT | Not announced | Not announced |
| Norway | NRK | Melodi Grand Prix | Not announced |
| Poland | TVP | National final | January or February 2027 |
| Romania | TVR | Not announced | Not announced |
| San Marino | SMRTV | San Marino Song Contest | 6 March 2027 |
| Sweden | SVT | Melodifestivalen | Final on 13 March 2027 |
| Switzerland | SRG SSR | Not announced | Not announced |
| Ukraine | Suspilne | Vidbir | February 2027 |
| United Kingdom | BBC | Not announced | Not announced |
Not this year, or not yet
Czechia has pulled out, citing the cost. Andorra and Bosnia and Herzegovina have confirmed they won't be there either. Hungary, last seen in 2019, has negotiated a longer deadline — until 7 December — and Moldova was also given more time to decide.
Five broadcasters stayed away from the 2026 contest in protest at Israel taking part during the war in Gaza: Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain. For 2027, the Netherlands returns under a different broadcaster, Ireland's RTÉ has said it will stay out, and the chairman of Spain's RTVE has said he will propose doing the same. Iceland's RÚV has not made it final, but on 30 September six of its nine board members voted to stay away unless Israel is excluded. Slovenia hasn't ruled out coming back. The contest's director said in July that there would be no vote on Israel's participation, and Israel's broadcaster confirmed its place.
Road to Burgas
national final seasonEvery national final with a confirmed date. We'll tick them off as the songs are chosen.
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Albania Festivali i Këngës
-
Estonia Eesti Laul
Luxembourg Luxembourg Song Contest
-
Latvia Supernova
-
Denmark Dansk Melodi Grand Prix
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Italy Sanremo — the fourth night
-
Finland Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK)
Lithuania Eurovizija.LT
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San Marino San Marino Song Contest
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Sweden Melodifestivalen
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First semi-final
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Second semi-final
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The Grand Final
Arena Burgas, Burgas
Date still to come: Croatia (Dora, February 2027) ; Germany (National final, February 2027) ; Poland (National final, January or February 2027) ; Ukraine (Vidbir, February 2027) .
What's new in the rules
The EBU published a summary of the 2027 rules on 12 August 2026.
-
Performers must be 18
In the rulesEvery artist has to be at least 18 on the day of their first rehearsal. The limit had been 16 since 1990; the EBU says the change is about protecting younger performers from the pressure of the contest.
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The lead vocal has to be live — and alone
In the rulesBacking tracks are still allowed, but nothing pre-recorded may carry the main melody or prop up the live lead vocal.
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A country at war can’t host
In the rulesThe updated rules exclude a country in an armed conflict from staging the contest.
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Voting may move online
Reported, not confirmedSweden’s Aftonbladet reported that the EBU has proposed moving the public vote entirely online and requiring viewers to vote for more than one song. Neither has been announced as a rule.
When do the Eurovision 2027 odds open?
not until there are songsNot yet, and we'd rather say so than put a percentage next to a flag. No country has chosen a song, and only a handful have even set a date. A number published now would be a guess about reputations, not entries.
There is no real market to borrow from either. When we looked on 14 October 2026, neither Kalshi nor Polymarket had opened a market on the 2027 winner — the only live Eurovision 2027 markets were small ones on which countries will take part.
Our board for Burgas opens when the first entries exist: Albania chooses on Sunday, 20 December, and by mid-March most of the field will be known. Until then our odds are where the songs are — Eurovision Asia 2026, decided in Bangkok on 14 November.
How Burgas got it
Bulgaria earned the right to host by winning Eurovision 2026 in Vienna — the country's first victory — with DARA's "Bangaranga". Four cities declared an interest in staging the contest: Burgas, Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Plovdiv's and Varna's venues were too small; host broadcaster BNT narrowed the choice to Burgas and Sofia in July 2026, and Burgas was announced as host city on 13 August.
It will be the second Eurovision event held in Bulgaria, after the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Sofia. The Bulgarian government has set aside around €20 million towards staging it. Presenters are due to be chosen between November and April.
The Eurovision Village, the free fan zone with screens and concerts, is planned for the Port of Burgas, on the site of the old Warehouse 7, close to the city centre, the railway and bus stations and the Sea Garden. Bulgaria's transport minister and the mayor of Burgas agreed the site on 12 October; it still has to be cleared and approved by the EBU.
The link to Eurovision Asia
The winner of the first Eurovision Song Contest Asia, decided in Bangkok on 14 November 2026, is invited to perform as a guest in Burgas. They will not compete: a claim that the Asian winner would enter the European contest circulated in June 2026 and was corrected within days. We traced how that happened in our explainer on the 2027 rumour.
Broadcasters that take part in the European contest can't also enter Eurovision Asia, which is why Australia, Israel and others with a claim to the region are absent from the Bangkok line-up. See the eligibility rule explained.