MANILA, Philippines — The Eurovision Song Contest Asia finalized its list of participating countries for its inaugural edition in Thailand.
In a post on its social media platforms on Friday, the participating countries are as follows: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The Philippines will be represented by singer Carmelle Collado with the song “Sobra-Sobra." Its performance video from the Philippine Selection Night has breached one million views on the Eurovision Song Contest's YouTube channel.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 4, South Korea chose K-pop singer Junhee through "Korea’s Next Wave" with the song “Deep Dive,” which is sung completely in English.
On the same night as South Korea’s national selection, Vietnam also chose its artist, singer Tóc Tiên, and her song will be chosen through "The Sound of Vietnam," which takes place next month.
Bhutan was the first to select its artist with Nyendra and his song, “Angel”, while Malaysia chose Aina Abdul on Aug. 15.
Laos will be the next country to select its song for the contest through the two-night "Sieng Lao: The One," with the final selection date on Sept. 24.
Host Thailand will select three days later with "Thailand’s Chosen One" that already has a 10-artist lineup, followed by the "Voice of Bangladesh" on Sept. 30.
Originally scheduled for Sept. 19, Nepal’s national selection, "Nepal Decides," will move to Oct. 7 following recent flooding in the country.
Mongolia is set to select its entrant on Oct. 14 through "Mongolia’s Chosen One," and Cambodia is set to complete the 11-country list, with "Cambodia’s Finest Voice."
Other notable Asian countries, such as China, Japan, India, Singapore, and Indonesia, are not taking part in the inaugural contest.
Japan, known for its vast music industry that includes J-pop and its anime culture, is among those not taking part. They are currently hosting the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya.
Meanwhile, China, one of the world’s largest music and entertainment markets, is also among those missing, having broadcasted the main Eurovision Song Contest from 2015 to 2018.
Australia has participated in the main contest with European countries since 2015 and has also confirmed its participation in next year’s contest in Burgas, Bulgaria.
The Eurovision Song Contest Asia will take place on Nov. 14, 2026 in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
