Czechia withdraws from Eurovision 2027: What's behind the decision
Eurovision 2027 will take place without Czechia (photo: Getty Images)
Czechia has officially announced that it will not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2027. The country’s public broadcaster, Česká televize, will also not acquire the broadcasting rights for the event.
Why Czechia is skipping Eurovision 2027
The broadcaster explained that the decision is linked to ongoing changes to its budget. It described Eurovision as a major project requiring significant spending on production, programming, and organization.
"In 2027, we won’t see the Czech flag on the Eurovision stage. But we’ll still be cheering for the others, and we hope to see you at the Eurovision Song Contest again someday," the broadcaster said.
Czechia stressed that the decision currently applies only to the 2027 contest, but said it does not want to make any premature statements. Therefore, it is not yet known when the country will return to the competition.
Czech television will also not broadcast the event. However, viewers will be able to follow the show via Eurovision’s official YouTube channel and vote for their favorites. Their votes will be counted in the “Rest of the World” category.
Czechia's Eurovision history
Czechia made its Eurovision debut in 2007. The country has yet to win the contest, with its best result coming in 2018, when Mikolas Josef finished sixth. The singer represented Czechia in Lisbon with the song "Lie to Me."
Overall, Czechia has participated in the contest 14 times and has reached the grand final only six times. In 2026, the country was represented by Daniel Žižka with the song "Crossroads."
What we know about Eurovision 2027
Next year, the contest will be held in Bulgaria for the first time in its history. The country won the right to host Eurovision after DARA won the competition with the song "Bangaranga."
Burgas, a resort city on the Black Sea coast, will host Eurovision 2027. The main shows will take place at Arena Burgas on May 11, 13, and 15, 2027.
One of the contest’s new developments will be Canada’s debut. The country became eligible to participate after the Canadian broadcaster was granted full membership in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) on June 25.
