Canada’s Public Broadcasting Service (CBC/Radio Canada) announced its historic debut in the Eurovision Song Contest. On Wednesday at noon, the EBU issued a press release confirming the news, which has dramatically increased interest in the upcoming contest in Sofia.

Canada thus becomes the first country on the American continent to participate in Eurovision and the most recent newcomer since Australia’s debut in 2015.

This development comes as no surprise, since just last week the CBC became a full member of the EBU, a move that strongly hinted to Eurofans what was to come. After all, in 2026, Canada was among the three “Rest of the World” countries that voted in favor of hosting the contest in Vienna, as well as among the countries with the most Eurofans who traveled to Austria to watch the live shows.

Both CBC executives and Eurovision Director Martin Green, welcomed this development and emphasized the historic significance of the contest’s further geographic expansion, which now takes on a transatlantic character.

It is worth noting that, as stated in the announcement, Canada will participate normally in the semifinals and will not qualify directly for the Grand Final, as was the case with Australia in the first year. Furthermore, unlike Australia, it is clarified that, in the event of a victory, Canada will host the contest on its own territory as usual.