Czechia will not compete at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest in Burgas next year. The Czech broadcaster ČT announced the country will not compete in the contest in May, citing major cutbacks in its budget.
ČT walk away from 2027 participation
In a statement, ČT confirmed that the country will not be taking part at next year’s Contest in Bulgaria. The broadcaster said:
The Eurovision Song Contest is a large-scale project with significant programming, production and organisational demands. In view of the budget adjustments currently underway, Czech Television has decided not to take part in the 2027 Contest.
There had been concerns about Czechia’s future in the Contest after it was revealed that the broadcasster would undergo a financial overhaul. Instead of being funded with television licence fees, the station would now receive its funds entirely from the government. This would result in a huge financial cutback for the broadcaster, which has now seen several of its shows being cancelled, including Eurovision.
ČT said that they will not rule out a possible return to the Contest in the future, saying it weighs up the decision to take part every year on a year-by-year basis. ČT also confirmed that they will not be broadcasting the Contest next May, and that fans wanting to vote for their favourites in Czechia will go towards the Rest of the World vote.
Czechia’s Eurovision journey
Czechia made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007, with Kabát’s “Malá dama”; however, their debut entry finished last in a 28-song semi-final, scoring only 1 point. This kicked off three consecutive non-qualifications, with their best result coming in 2008, finishing in second-last place. Having withdrawn in 2009 due to poor results, Czechia returned to the Contest in 2015. In 2016, Czechia qualified for the first time with Gabriela Gunciková’s “I Stand”.
Czechia continued its recent tradition of internally selecting its representatives for Eurovision in 2026, selecting Daniel Zižka with “CROSSROADS”. The song was able to qualify for the final from the second semi-final, and ultimately finished in 16th place, scoring 113 points. Of these, only 9 came from the televote, whilst the remaining 104 points came from the jury.
What do you think of Czechia confirming their non-participation in Eurovision 2027? Will you miss them in next year’s competition? 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, Bluesky, and ZOOP for more information about Eurovision 2027!
News Source: ČT
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Tim J