Ten Countries Join Eurovision Asia

Thai capital Bangkok was announced as the host city of the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia on November 14, 2026, last week. Ten nations have confirmed their participation, with national selection shows determining the delegate. While K-Pop powerhouse South Korea is taking part, other populous nations on the continent like Japan, China or India are not yet participating. However, the organizers have explicitly stated that more countries could still be added to the lineup.

In the past 70 years, the Eurovision Song Contest has developed a fan following in European and Eurasian nations. The singing competition has over time evolved into a music and performance extravaganza but as an initiative of public service media organization European Broadcasting Union had been a much more uptight affair for years. Yet, it was arguably the quirkiness of the event that switched back and forth between music gala and public broadcasting modesty that initially created its cult status. The EBU continues to govern the event and its membership as well as the location of countries in the European Broadcasting Area (in turn governed by the International Telecommunication Union) determines who is eligible to participate.

To continue with off-the-wall details, the EBA has its origins in 19th and 20th century telegraphy cables, qualifying many North African and Near Eastern countries for participation. However, few have regularly, if ever, taken part. Countries of the Caucasus region have meanwhile been very active in the competition.

Associate members of the EBU which are not in the European Broadcasting Area need an invitation to participate, which Australia received in 2015. The organization might be looking to expand its participant pool as several nations that have traditionally taken part in the competition have stopped doing so, for example the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and Ireland, mostly citing cost factors and inability to compete. Russian and Belarussian broadcasters were banned from the Union in 2021 and 2022.