CBC scheduled to announce five Canadian finalists for inaugural Eurovision entry

Finalists due to be announced

CBC/Radio-Canada is scheduled to announce five finalists at 3 p.m. ET on October 27 in the contest to represent Canada at the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, according to The Canadian Press. Artists from across Canada applied for the opportunity to become the country’s first participant in the competition.

The reviewed reporting announced the planned unveiling but did not identify the five acts or confirm that the announcement had occurred by the knowledge cutoff.

Shortlist chosen before public vote

A jury of music-industry professionals selected the five finalists from the submitted applications. The public will then be invited to vote for the artist that will represent Canada, while the selected winner is expected to work with established music-industry professionals to develop the country’s song and performance.

No date for the public vote or the final selection was specified in the reporting reviewed.

Canada prepares for a debut in Bulgaria

Canada is set to make its Eurovision debut at the 71st contest, scheduled for next May at Arena Burgas in Burgas, Bulgaria. The contest has been held annually since 1956.

Organizers said more than 130 million viewers across 35 markets watched this year’s edition. They also reported more than a billion Instagram views for the event, although those figures concern the 2026 contest rather than Canada’s planned entry.

Participation remains politically contested

The reporting said five public-service broadcasters — from Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland — boycotted this year’s contest in response to Israel’s participation amid the conflict in Gaza.

Ireland’s RTÉ had confirmed a second consecutive boycott of both participating in and broadcasting next year’s contest. The Netherlands was expected to compete in Burgas because umbrella public broadcaster NPO stepped in after entertainment broadcaster AVROTROS continued its boycott. Russia has been barred since the European Broadcasting Union imposed the ban following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.