Bulgaria faces a political and administrative deadlock over hosting Eurovision 2027 after an official July 31 deadline passed without an agreement on a host city. A government committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov proposed Burgas to avoid directing tens of millions of euros in state funds to an opposition-led municipality, as relations with Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev remain tense.
According to news website flagman.bg, European Broadcasting Union Director General Noel Curran supports Burgas, continuing a strategy of choosing non-capital cities such as Malmo in 2024 and Turin in 2022. The EBU also raised technical obstacles for Sofia, including the need to remove the commercial name 8888 from its main arena and conflicts with events already scheduled for April and May 2027.
City Selection Debate
Bulgarian National Television Director General Milena Milotinova insists on Sofia, citing superior logistical infrastructure. Broadcaster management also cited the risk of operational disruptions to daily programming if staff must relocate to Burgas for about six weeks.
Although BNT announced it was reviewing further clarifications, EBU sources in Geneva said evaluation visits in July completed city assessments, attributing the delay entirely to the broadcaster. Contest winner Dara publicly backed Sofia, stating that the capital offers access to beautiful sites like Belogradchik nearby and the Rila mountains two to three hours away by car, which she said are gorgeous even in May.
Because the EBU cannot act unilaterally without BNT consent and BNT relies on government funding, the dispute is expected to depend on future actions by the government of President Rumen Radev.
