Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026

Dara gave Bulgaria its first Eurovision Song Contest victory on Saturday, May 16, when “Bangaranga” won the 70th grand final in Vienna, Austria. Reuters reported that Bulgaria finished ahead of Israel at a contest marked by a boycott from five countries over Israel’s participation. Eurovisionworld’s published results showed Bulgaria on 516 points in a 25-country final. ### How did Bulgaria win, and by how much? Eurovisionworld’s result table showed Bulgaria finishing first on 516 points, with Israel second on 343 and Romania third on 296. The same table listed Australia fourth on 287 and Italy fifth on 281, with Finland — widely watched before the final — ending sixth on 279. Reuters said “Bangaranga,” performed by Dara, came out on top once points from national juries and the public vote were combined. (usnews.com) AP reported that Dara beat 24 other competitors in Vienna, making this Bulgaria’s first win in the contest. ### Who is Dara? AP described Dara as an established name in Bulgaria and a mentor on “The Voice Bulgaria.” Eurovisionworld identified her as a Bulgarian pop artist with an established profile in the Bulgarian and Balkan music scene and said she released the album “ADHDARA” in 2025. (eurovisionworld.com) AP said Dara had not been among the favorites to win before the final. (usnews.com) Deutsche Welle, citing Eurovision’s own description, said the contest had presented her as one of Bulgaria’s best-known pop musicians. ### Why was the final overshadowed by a boycott? Reuters reported that the final was marked by a boycott from five countries over Gaza. (pbs.org) AP and Deutsche Welle identified those countries as Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia, all of which stayed out in protest at Israel’s participation. Deutsche Welle reported that the boycott reduced the field to 35 entries overall, the fewest since 2003, and that 25 acts reached the final in Vienna. (pbs.org) AP said the contest had been clouded for a third year by calls for Israel to be excluded over its conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere. ### Where did Israel finish, and who else stood out? (usnews.com) Reuters said Israel finished second behind Bulgaria. AP identified Israel’s entrant as Noam Bettan, performing “Michelle,” and said Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu placed third. Eurovisionworld’s table added more detail to the top 10: Moldova finished eighth on 226 points, Ukraine ninth on 221 and Greece 10th on 220. (dw.com) The same results page showed Austria, this year’s host country, finishing 24th on 6 points and the United Kingdom last on 1 point. ### What did the result say about the voting? Eurovisionworld’s published scoreboard showed Bulgaria taking 312 public-vote points and 204 jury points. (usnews.com) Israel’s total broke down to 220 from the public and 123 from juries, while Romania received 232 from the public and 64 from juries. AP reported that Dara’s tightly choreographed performance connected with both juries and viewers, whose combined votes decide the winner. (eurovisionworld.com) Reuters likewise said the result was determined after points from national juries and the public vote were tallied. ### What happens next after Bulgaria’s win? Eurovisionworld said the winner earns the honor of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. (eurovisionworld.com) The European Broadcasting Union and participating broadcasters typically publish the full voting breakdown after the final, and Bulgaria’s broadcaster would be expected to work with organizers on the 2027 host process. That final step is an inference from Eurovision’s standard post-contest process, based on the published results page and the contest’s stated hosting rules for the winner. (pbs.org)