China and Japan could make their debut at Eurovision Asia in 2027, after negotiations with broadcasters from both countries ran past the production deadline for this year's inaugural contest.

Assaf Blecher, executive producer of Eurovision Asia, revealed the talks in an interview with The Guardian a week before the first edition of the contest. He said as many as 13 countries could have taken part in the debut show, but discussions with the Chinese and Japanese broadcasters were not concluded in time for them to join the line-up.

Blecher said he was "very, very optimistic" that both countries would take part in next year's edition, in a sign of the contest's ambitions to bring the two biggest television markets in the region into the competition.

The first Eurovision Song Contest Asia takes place on 14 November 2026 at the One Bangkok Forum in Bangkok, Thailand. Eleven countries will compete: Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Bhutan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, South Korea, Nepal, Malaysia and host nation Thailand. The show will be hosted by Woody Milintachinda and Cindy Bishop.

The contest is organised by Voxovation under licence from the European Broadcasting Union, which runs the long-established Eurovision Song Contest in Europe. It is the first time the Eurovision format has been staged as a standalone competition in Asia.

Blecher also revealed a break with European tradition: the winner of Eurovision Asia will not automatically host the following year's contest. The organisers have not yet said how the 2027 host will be chosen.

The 2027 edition is expected to be the first test of whether the new contest can expand beyond its debut line-up.

[Source: escspot.pl](https://escspot.pl/en/2026/11/07/eurovision-asia-china-and-japan-could-make-their-debut-in-2027/) | [Source: eurovisionfun.com](https://eurovisionfun.com/en/2026/11/eurovision-asia-winner-not-guaranteed-to-host-the-next-edition-china-and-japan-in-talks-for-2027/)