BNT has revealed the special guest performers set to appear during Show One of Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026, the national selection process to choose Bulgaria’s act for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
Past Eurovision stars
Taking to the stage on Saturday night will be three familiar faces for Eurovision fans: Krisia, Kristian Kostov, and Victoria.
Kristian Kostov delivered one of Bulgaria’s best results at Eurovision to date, finishing second in 2017 with “Beautiful Mess”. Meanwhile, Victoria was the last Bulgarian artist to make it to a Eurovision final in 2021, performing “Growing Up Is Getting Old”. Krisia, known to European audiences for her memorable appearance at Junior Eurovision, rounds out the guest lineup for the first show.
Show One Details
Natsionalnata Selektsiya 2026 kicks off with 15 competing artists performing songs from their existing catalogues, each aiming to impress both the jury and the public to advance to the next round. The first show airs at 20:00 CET, with the top performers moving forward toward the Artist Final scheduled for 31 January.
| Kerana and the Cosmonauts |
| Mihaela Marinova |
| Mihaela Fileva |
| Molec |
| Roksana |
| Fiki |
| DARA |
| Dara Ekimova |
| DIA |
| Elizabet |
| Innerglow |
| MONA |
| Preyah |
| VALL |
| Veniamin |
Bulgaria’s 2026 national final format
As we have previously reported, Bulgaria’s national selection will be held over three nights. The first will be held on January 24, when all fifteen acts will perform one of their original songs. On January 31, seven artists will remain and sing another one of their original songs. The winner will be decided by a combined vote of the television audience and a professional jury. The final will be held on February 28, where the selected artists will perform three original songs written for Eurovision. A jury of ten members and the public will decide on the winner.
Bulgaria’s Eurovision journey
Bulgaria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest back in 2005 with the song “Lorraine” sung by Kaffe; the song came 19th in the semi-final, scoring 49 points. Bulgaria’s best ever result came in 2017 with “Beautiful Mess” by Kristian Kostov, the song placed 2nd in the Grand Final that year scoring 615 points.
In 2022, Bulgaria was represented by the Intelligent Music Project in Turin, where they sang the song “Intention”, placing 16th in the Semi-Final with 29 points.
The country will return after a 3-year-pause for Vienna’s 2026 edition.
Which artist will you be rooting for? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News source: BNT
Photo credit: EBU
Euan T 
Rory Gannon