European country announces it’s returning to Eurovision after 4-year absence
The Eurovision Song Contest will have a country come back next year (Picture: Joe Klamar/ AFP via Getty Images)
Four years after dropping out of Eurovision, North Macedonia has announced it will rejoin the contest next year.
The 2026 competition saw the least number of countries – 35 – compete since the semi-final format was introduced in 2003.
Last year, five countries – Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia – announced they were boycotting the event due to Israel’s ongoing inclusion.
Then a few days ago Belgium – one of Eurovision’s founding countries – said it was unlikely to participate next year too.
Despite the dropouts, North Macedonia will be coming back in 2027.
Today public broadcaster MRT (Macedonian Radio Television), through its Director General Zoran Ristoski, confirmed it would return after five years.
North Macedonia will be back after a four-year absence (Picture: Guy Prives/ Getty Images)
The last time they competed was with singer Andrea in 2022 (Picture: Marco Bertorello/ AFP via Getty Images)
During the Public Programme Council meeting of MRT, attended by representatives of trade unions, media organisations, and relevant institutions, Ristoski said he’d met with European Broadcasting Union representatives.
He then added that North Macedonia would definitely be sending an entry to the 2027 contest, which will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, after Dara won in Vienna last weekend.
Ristoski also said MRT had EBU support in promoting North Macedonia’s cultural values and expected the broadcaster to also receive a more favourable package for its return to Eurovision.
The country’s return comes after public calls from citizens to reconsider Eurovision participation.
Before declaring independence in 1991, North Macedonia competed as part of Yugoslavia.
It then tried to enter the 1996 contest with Kaliopi and her son Samo ti, however it failed to make it through the pre-qualifying round.
Tamara Todevska achieved the country’s best result in 2019 (Picture: Michael Campanella/ Getty Images)
North Macedonia made its Eurovision debut two years later, with Vlado Janevski and his song Ne zori, zoro placed 19th.
However, in the subsequent years it only qualified for the Grand Final once in the previous 11 contests it had participated in.
It achieved its best result to date in 2019, when Proud by Tamara Todevska qualified and finished in seventh place in the final after winning the jury vote.
However, after failing to qualify in 2021 and 2022, broadcaster MRT (Macedonian Radio Television) decided to opt out of participating, citing financial difficulties at the time.
Last week, MRT also resumed broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest on its main channel.
Despite pulling out of Eurovision, North Macedonia had remained in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest over the past few years.
Although that country is returning to the contest, Ireland has indicated its boycott would continue next year.
Vasil didn’t qualify for the Grand Final in 2021 (Picture: Patrick van Emst/ ANP/ AFP)
Earlier this week, RTÉ’s Kevin Bakhurst was asked on Morning Ireland about the boycott being extended, to which he said there was ‘no reason’ why it wouldn’t.
‘We haven’t started to think about next year and there’s a long way to go,’ he began.
‘Our rationale still holds, civilians are still dying in smaller numbers, but they are still dying in significant numbers in Gaza, and also in Lebanon. Journalists are still being targeted, and they still have been up to recently.
‘For us as a public service broadcaster, who believes in the importance of protecting journalists and believes in human rights, there’s no reason at the moment to change our decision but we will review it in the coming months.’
Meanwhile Flemish broadcaster VRT has said it is unlikely they will submit a song, unless there is direct action taken over the perceived mismanagement of the competition by the EBU.
This week YRT spokesperson Yasmine Van der Borght said ‘chances are slim’ it would send an artist to represent Belgium next year.
Dara won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest for Bulgaria (Picture: Tobias Schwarz/ AFP via Getty Images)
‘We expect the EBU to make a clear statement against war and violence and for respect for human rights,’ she said.
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‘Therefore, we are asking for a clear framework for participation, an open debate and a direct vote among EBU members. So far, we have received an insufficient response to this.
‘Even during the semi-finals this week, we received no signal that the EBU is hearing our concerns. Naturally, we want to discuss this with other broadcasters. But if the EBU’s position does not change, the chances are slim that VRT will send an artist next year.’
She then went on to say that VRT is asking for ‘an objective framework like other international organisations have: what are the conditions for a country to participate and what are not conditions? That is currently lacking.’
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