By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Canada will make its Eurovision debut alongside at least 35 other countries at next year’s contest, organisers said on Wednesday, with Ireland and the Netherlands boycotting over Israel’s participation, and Spain, Slovenia and Iceland still to announce.
• The 36 broadcasters will send their national 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 Gaza 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,” said Martin Green, director of the Eurovision Song Contest, in a statement
• 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, Britain, Ukraine and Australia
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin, additional reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen; Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria)
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