Eurovision confirms candidates for 2027 — but 2 EU countries are still on the fence

Spain and Slovenia are still undecided about whether to compete in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, after they boycotted this year’s edition over Israel’s participation. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision, announced Wednesday that national broadcasters from 36 countries would take part in next May’s contest, which will take place in Burgas in eastern Bulgaria. Five countries staged an unprecedented boycott of the 2026 contest due to Israel’s war in Gaza — sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel — and the resulting humanitarian crisis it triggered. Ireland, the Netherlands and Iceland are again boycotting the 2027 competition but Spain and Slovenia “have not yet decided” whether they will compete, the EBU said.