Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026

Bulgaria’s Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on Saturday with “Bangaranga,” giving the country its first title in the competition’s history. The win came at the Wiener Stadthalle after votes from national juries and the public were combined at the end of a four-hour grand final. Organizers said 25 countries took part in the final and votes were received from 148 countries across participating nations and the “Rest of the World.” Bulgaria’s broadcaster, BNT, returned to the contest this year after a three-year absence and now takes on hosting rights for 2027. ### How did Bulgaria win the final in Vienna? Dara finished with 516 points, according to the official Eurovision results, ahead of Israel on 343 and Romania on 296. The Bulgarian entry also topped both parts of the voting system, taking 204 points from juries and 312 from televoters. Eurovision’s organizer, the European Broadcasting Union, said the margin of 173 points was the biggest winning gap in the contest’s history. (ebu.ch) The grand final was held on Saturday, May 16, at Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, with Austria’s ORF serving as host broadcaster. The EBU said juries from the 35 competing nations cast votes based on the dress rehearsal the previous evening before public votes were added during the live show. ### Who is Dara and what is “Bangaranga”? Darina Yotova, performing as Dara, represented Bulgaria with “Bangaranga,” a song credited by Eurovision organizers to Anne Judith Stokke Wik, Yotova, Dimitris Kontopoulos and Monoir. (ebu.ch) EurovisionWorld said Dara is a Bulgarian pop artist from the contemporary Bulgarian and Balkan music scene and that she has released multiple singles before this year’s contest. “Bangaranga” was the 12th performance in the running order, according to the published final results. The official Eurovision release said Dara emerged as the jury leader before also winning the audience vote, making it the first winning song to top both categories since 2017. ### Who were the other main finishers? Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second with “Michelle,” while Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu placed third with “Choke Me,” according to the official scoreboard. (ebu.ch) Australia’s Delta Goodrem was fourth with “Eclipse,” and Italy’s Sal Da Vinci was fifth with “Per sempre sì.” The same results table showed Austria, the host country, finishing 24th with six points, while the United Kingdom placed last with one point. (ebu.ch) Sweden ended 20th with 51 points, and Germany was 23rd with 12. ### Why is this win notable for Bulgaria? BNT had never won Eurovision before this year, the EBU said, despite Bulgaria first entering the competition in 2005. (ebu.ch) The broadcaster had also missed the last three editions before returning for the 2026 contest. The 2026 result gives Bulgaria the automatic role of host broadcaster for next year’s contest, subject to the usual organizing arrangements between the winning broadcaster and the EBU. (eurovisionworld.com) EurovisionWorld said the grand final winner earns “the honor of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest,” and this year’s event was staged by ORF after Austria hosted in Vienna. (ebu.ch) ### What happens after the result? The EBU said the 2026 contest marked Eurovision’s 70th edition and included anniversary performances during the Vienna show. Martin Green, the EBU’s director of the Eurovision Song Contest, congratulated Dara and BNT in a statement and thanked ORF and the city of Vienna for staging the event. BNT and the EBU are the named participants in the next step: planning Eurovision 2027 after Bulgaria’s first win. (eurovisionworld.com) The formal host city process typically follows the result, with the winning broadcaster working with organizers on venue, dates and production arrangements for next year’s contest. That sequence follows directly from Bulgaria taking the trophy in Vienna on May 16. (ebu.ch)