Bulgaria wins Eurovision with 516 points

Bulgaria won the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest on May 16, with singer Dara taking 516 points for “Bangaranga” in Vienna. The result gave Bulgaria its first victory in the competition’s history after a grand final that unfolded under the shadow of protests and a five-country boycott over Israel’s participation. Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second with 343 points, and Romania placed third with 296, according to results published after the show. The final was held at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, the host city for Eurovision’s 70th edition. EurovisionWorld’s published results say 35 countries took part in the 2026 contest and 25 reached the grand final, which was hosted by Austria’s ORF. Reuters reported that Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia did not take part in protest at Israel’s participation. (trtworld.com) ### Who won, and by how much? Dara finished first with 516 points, while Israel’s Noam Bettan took 343 and Romania’s Alexandra Capitanescu took 296, according to published results. Reuters described the margin as a dramatic victory after Israel again drew a strong public vote. EurovisionWorld’s scoreboard identifies the winning entry as “Bangaranga,” performed for Bulgaria. (eurovisionworld.com) Bulgaria’s win was its first in Eurovision, Reuters and other outlets reported after the result. At a post-show press conference, Reuters quoted Dara saying: “This is unbelievable. I don't even know what's going on right now.” ### Why was the final overshadowed by politics? Five countries boycotted Eurovision 2026 over Israel’s participation, making it the biggest political boycott in the contest’s history, France 24 reported before the final. (trtworld.com) The absent broadcasters were Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia, according to France 24 and Reuters. (uk.news.yahoo.com) Vienna also saw protests outside the venue on the day of the final. Al Jazeera reported that thousands demonstrated against Israel’s inclusion as fans gathered for the show, while Reuters said the contest had been plunged into crisis by the dispute over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. (france24.com) ### How did Israel still finish second? Israel’s Noam Bettan placed second with 343 points for “Michelle,” despite the boycott campaign and boos reported during Eurovision week. Reuters said Israel again secured second place on the back of a big public vote. Other post-final reports put Bettan’s tally at 123 jury points and 220 public points. (aljazeera.com) The 2026 voting system combined national juries, televoting from participating countries and an online “Rest of the World” vote, EurovisionWorld said. An EBU rules update issued in November 2025 said the audience vote carried 50.7% of the weight and juries 49.3% after changes billed by Eurovision director Martin Green as measures to strengthen trust and transparency. (uk.news.yahoo.com) ### What was unusual about this year’s field? EurovisionWorld said 35 countries participated in 2026, the lowest number since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. The boycott reduced the field in a year that still drew broad global attention, with France 24 reporting more than 10,000 fans expected inside Austria’s biggest arena for the final. Pre-final coverage had pointed elsewhere. (eurovisionworld.com) France 24 said Finland and Australia were among the favorites before the show, while noting that Dara had been gaining traction with her choreography-heavy performance of “Bangaranga.” ### Where can readers see the detailed vote next? Eurovision’s official results database publishes the split jury and televote breakdowns country by country for the May 16 grand final. (eurovisionworld.com) EurovisionWorld also lists the full 2026 scoreboard, venue details and participant table for Vienna, where ORF staged the contest at Wiener Stadthalle. (france24.com) Austria hosted the 2026 event after JJ won Eurovision 2025 for Austria with “Wasted Love,” according to EurovisionWorld’s winners archive. The next formal milestone for fans is the release and review of the full voting breakdown from Vienna’s grand final on the official Eurovision results pages. (eurovisionworld.com) (eurovision.tv)