Despite rumours to the contrary earlier this week, Bulgaria’s participation in 2024 is still not ruled out, according to the official Eurovision Bulgaria Twitter feed.

While rumours suggested Bulgaria’s national broadcaster BNT had immediately ruled out a return to the contest in 2024, merely hours after Loreen’s victory in Liverpool, a tweet responding to a Bulgarian fan suggests that it is “too early to say for sure”.

It would be expected that much hinges on whether the Bulgarian delegation could find sponsorships for participation, and whether there is still the appetite for BNT to participate in the contest. In statements made in October last year, financial constraints and an expected increase in participation fees from the EBU were the main factors in the country leaving the contest.

Bulgaria have taken part in Eurovision 14 times, with their most recent stint easily their most successful, with four finals in a row and two top five places with Poli Genova (4th in 2016) and Kristian Kostov (runner-up in 2017) since their last return in 2016. They failed to qualify with Intelligent Music Project’s “Intention” in their last appearance in Turin in 2022.

There is a great deal of optimism amongst Eurovision fans that 2024 could see an increase in participation numbers; Luxembourg’s shock return announced last week could be the first of a few returnees, with Monaco setting up a new broadcaster to join the contest, Andorra reportedly awaiting final broadcaster approval to go ahead with a comeback and Turkey’s future in the contest hinging on the results of the current presidential elections.

It is also likely that North Macedonia will return in 2024, given the country’s participation in Junior Eurovision later this year and the previous statements suggesting there would be only a one-year break in participation. Potential debuts for Faroe Islands and Kosovo have also been discussed, but these seem unlikely at the moment unless EBU rules change to permit both to enter.

Which countries do #YOU hope to see in Eurovision 2024 in Sweden? Share your thoughts with us on our forum HERE or join the discussion below and on social media!

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