Canada will make history at next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, becoming the first new country to join the competition in over a decade. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada’s national public broadcaster, jointly confirmed on 1 July 2026 that Canada will debut at the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, taking place in Bulgaria in 2027.

Canada’s entry marks the first time a new country has joined Eurovision since Australia’s debut in 2015. When Canada takes the stage in Bulgaria, it will compete in the Semi-Finals, following the same path other newcomers have taken before earning a shot at the Grand Final.

The announcement follows closely on the heels of another milestone: CBC/Radio-Canada officially became a full Member of the EBU after a vote at the organisation’s 96th General Assembly in Prague on 25 June 2026. That new status is what makes Eurovision eligibility possible. CBC/Radio-Canada had previously held Associate membership with the EBU since 1950, a relationship that allowed the broadcaster to air the contest but not compete in it.

CBC/Radio-Canada has not yet revealed how it will choose Canada’s entry, saying only that details on the selection process will come later this year.

The EBU pointed to Canada’s strong and growing engagement with the contest as a driving factor behind the move. At the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna this past May, Canada ranked among the top three countries in the “Rest of the World” public vote. Canadians were also among the largest groups of ticket-buyers from outside Europe, with many travelling to Vienna for the Semi-Finals and Grand Final.

Marie-Philippe Bouchard, President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, tied the announcement to Canada Day, framing the contest as a chance to spotlight homegrown talent on one of music’s most storied stages while letting Canadian fans keep watching and voting, this time with a country of their own to cheer for.

Martin Green CBE, the EBU’s Director of the Eurovision Song Contest, welcomed CBC/Radio-Canada into what he called the Eurovision family, noting that the contest, though rooted in Europe, has increasingly opened its doors to the wider world. He also highlighted Canada’s long-standing ties to the competition, pointing to Céline Dion’s win as an enduring part of that legacy.

While Canada has never competed as a nation, Canadian performers have shaped the contest for decades. The most famous case is Céline Dion, who gave Switzerland its second Eurovision victory in 1988 with “Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi,” a year before her international breakthrough. She remains the only Canadian ever to win the contest.

Other Canadian-connected performers have left their mark too: Lara Fabian represented Luxembourg the same night Dion won in 1988, finishing fourth; Annie Cotton took bronze for Switzerland in 1993; and Natasha St-Pier placed fourth for France in 2001 with a song that became a hit across the French-speaking world. More recently, La Zarra performed for France in 2023, Katerine Duska for Greece in 2019, and Rykka for Switzerland in 2016.