Canada at Eurovision: Everything you need to know
- Kyriakos Tsinivits
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Canada is the first new country to join the Eurovision Song Contest since Australia made its debut in 2015.
The home of Céline Dion officially became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) this year, giving the country the opportunity to compete at the world's biggest live music event.
With Canada now set to make its Eurovision debut, here's everything we know so far about the nation's journey to the Contest.
Why is Canada competing at Eurovision?
It's the question that will inevitably be asked time and time again. As Australians, it's one we've become very familiar with over the past decade.
Like Australia, Canada isn't located in Europe. However, competing at Eurovision has never been about geography alone. Eligibility is determined by membership with the EBU.
The EBU is the world's leading alliance of public service media organisations.
Founded in 1950, it now comprises 113 member organisations across 56 countries. The organisation facilitates the sharing of news, sport and entertainment programming while promoting collaboration and public service broadcasting standards across Europe and beyond.
With Canada now joining as a full EBU member, the country has strengthened its broadcasting ties with Europe and earned the right to compete in Eurovision.
Does Canada have a connection with Eurovision?
Canada's connection with Eurovision has also been growing for many years.
During the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Canada ranked among the top three countries in the Rest of the World vote.
Canadians were also among the biggest international ticket buyers outside Europe, with many travelling to Austria to attend the semi-finals and Grand Final.
Canada has also left its mark on the Contest long before becoming eligible to compete.
A number of Canadian artists have represented other countries at Eurovision, most famously Céline Dion, who won the 1988 Contest for Switzerland with Ne partez pas sans moi before going on to become one of the world's biggest music stars.
Other notable Canadian-connected artists include Lara Fabian (Luxembourg 1988), Natasha St-Pier (France 2001), Annie Cotton (Switzerland 1993), Sherisse Laurence (Luxembourg 1986) and La Zarra (France 2023).
Beyond those names, artists including Rykka (Switzerland 2016), Katerine Duska (Greece 2019), Ester Peony (Romania 2019) and Vasil (North Macedonia 2021) all have Canadian birth or residency connections.
Canada has also enjoyed success on the music charts, with a number of Eurovision songs becoming chart hits over the decades.
So will Canada qualify directly for the Grand Final like Australia did?
No.
When Australia debuted in 2015, the country received a special one-off invitation from host broadcaster ORF to celebrate Eurovision's 60th anniversary.
Guy Sebastian represented Australia with Tonight Again and was granted direct entry into the Grand Final.
Australia continues to compete through invitations, as SBS is an associate member of the EBU.
Canada's situation is different.
As a full EBU member, Canada will compete under the same rules as every other eligible country outside the Big Five. That means they will first compete in one of the two semi-finals and will need to qualify for a place in the Grand Final.
How will Canada select their artist for Eurovision?
At this stage, details are yet to be announced.
It's still unknown whether Canada will hold a televised national final, an internal selection or another format to choose its first Eurovision representative.
However, one important clue has already emerged.
During Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that Canadians will have a say in selecting the country's first Eurovision artist.
"You will decide. It's going to be a tough choice. You will decide which Canadian first steps onto that Eurovision stage beneath our flag."
While the exact selection process remains under wraps, it appears fans across Canada will play an important role in choosing the artist who will make history by representing the country at Eurovision for the very first time.
Canada joining Eurovision is a big moment
Canada's arrival marks one of the biggest moments in Eurovision's modern history.
Following Australia's successful introduction to the Contest in 2015, the addition of another passionate music-loving nation demonstrates Eurovision's growing global appeal.
Now all that's left is to discover who will have the honour of representing the maple leaf on the Eurovision stage for the very first time.
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