LTV confirms Latvia for Eurovision 2027 in Bulgaria, introducing a Super Final and new arena venue for Supernova.

The Latvian national broadcaster, LTV, has announced that Latvia will participate in Eurovision 2027, which will take place in Bulgaria. Latvia becomes the 16th country to confirm its participation in Eurovision 2027, following debutant Canada, Italy, Israel, Denmark, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Norway, Romania, San Marino, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the host country – Bulgaria.

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Changes to the National Selection

Once again, the “Supernova” competition is expected to serve as the Latvian national selection. This will mark the 12th consecutive year that the Latvian entry is chosen through this platform, with the exception of 2021 when Samanta Tīna was selected directly following the cancellation of Eurovision 2020.

The song submission window for the local selection will open on Saturday, August 1st, and close exactly two months later, on October 1st, 2026. Following the closure of submissions, candidates will be evaluated by a jury panel, with the names of the artists and songs expected to be revealed during November. The local selection is scheduled to take place during January and February 2027, with the final expected to be held on Saturday, February 6th.

This year, for the first time, the final will be hosted at the “Xiaomi Arena” sports hall located in the Latvian capital of Riga, rather than in the national broadcaster’s studios where the selection was held in recent years, with the aim of accommodating a larger audience.

Along with the announcement of participation and the selection format, the Latvian national broadcaster unveiled new additions to the national final. In 2027, the final will be split into two parts, similar to other national selections such as neighboring Estonia. In the first phase, three acts will be chosen to advance to a “Super Final.” After an additional vote between them, the winner and Latvian representative for Eurovision 2027 will be decided.

LTV emphasizes that non-Latvian creators, writers, and producers are permitted to participate in the competition, but their rights to the song will be capped at 49% of the total song rights. Furthermore, the national broadcaster stressed that any use of artificial intelligence in submitted songs is strictly prohibited. It remains to be seen whether this refreshing change in the national selection will bring success to the main contest, following Latvia’s failure to qualify for the final at Eurovision 2026.

The History of Supernova

The choice of the local selection “Supernova” began as a resounding success when Aminata Savadogo brought Latvia sixth place at Eurovision 2015. A year later, Justs achieved another qualification for the final, finishing in 15th place. However, from that point on, Latvia recorded six consecutive disappointments, matching its previous qualification drought experienced between 2009 and 2014.

Heading into Eurovision 2024, Latvia’s fortunes appeared to turn around when Dons qualified Latvia for the Eurovision final for the first time since 2016, defying all odds. The positive streak was continued by the band Tautumeitas, who brought Latvia an impressive 13th place.

Latvia’s Achievements in the Contest

Latvia is considered a relatively struggling nation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Across its 26 appearances, it has won only once, on its third attempt, when singer Marie N brought home Latvia’s sole victory at Eurovision 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Since joining the contest in 2000, Latvia has never missed a Eurovision Song Contest. The only instance where a Latvian entry was not staged was at Eurovision 2020, when the entire contest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite Latvia’s persistent presence at Eurovision, it has recorded a significant number of non-qualifications, failing to reach the Grand Final in 16 editions. Five of those times, it finished last in its respective semi-final (in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, and 2021).

Latvia continues to be seen as a country that struggles at Eurovision; since the semi-final system was introduced, Latvia has reached the final just seven times out of 21 appearances (in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2024, and 2025). Despite numerous absences from the Grand Final, Latvia has recorded several respectable achievements in its history, placing in the top five three times, alongside its sixth-place finish in 2015.