Bulgaria is back for Eurovision 2026
Bulgaria will return to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2026, marking the end of a multi-year absence
The Bulgarian broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) has officially announced that Bulgaria will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
The announcement came from the EBU’s official Eurovision Instagram account:
The last time Bulgaria took part in Eurovision was in 2022 with Intelligent Music Project's "Intention."
Promoting Bulgarian culture to Europe
BNT’s Director General Emil Koshlyukov says that Bulgaria’s return is part of the broadcaster’s mission to promote Bulgarian culture and talent to an international audience:
– Eurovision is a stage where cultures meet and stories are shared. BNT supports talented artists, and we are happy that we were once again able to secure the opportunity for a Bulgarian performer to represent our country before a multi-million audience, says Emil Koshlyukov.
Eurovision’s Executive Supervisor Martin Green welcomes the return of Bulgaria:
– We are very excited to welcome BNT back to the Eurovision family after a three-year break. Its return is yet another proof that we remain united by music, as well as of the contest’s enormous popularity, says Martin Green.
The coming months will focus on preparing the selection process of the Bulgarian artist and song that will represent the country in Vienna. Details about the format and participation will be announced later.
Bulgaria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Bulgaria has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 14 times, but with mixed success. They have a 2nd, 4th, 5th, 11th and 14th place in their Eurovision account, and the other 9 years they didn't qualify for the Grand Final.
The best result was 2017's 2nd place finish (Kristian Kostov - Beautiful Mess), and this was also one of the five times they have qualified for the Grand Final out of 14.
