Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026 — Dara’s 'Bangaranga' takes the trophy

Bulgaria’s Dara won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna on May 16 with “Bangaranga,” giving the country its first victory in the competition’s history. The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, said Dara topped both the jury vote and the public vote in the grand final at Wiener Stadthalle. Reuters reported that Israel finished second after a final marked by five countries’ boycott over Gaza, while the BBC recorded the United Kingdom finishing last with one point. The final result gave Bulgaria 516 points and Israel’s Noam Bettan 343, according to Eurovision results published after the show. Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu placed third, the EBU said, after 25 countries competed in the final hosted by Austrian broadcaster ORF. ### How did Bulgaria win from a field that did not expect it? The EBU said Dara’s “Bangaranga” won both the jury vote and the audience vote, the first song to do so since 2017. (ebu.ch) The organizer said the winning margin was 173 points, the biggest in the contest’s history. Eurovisionworld, which tracks the contest’s published results, said Bulgaria scored 204 points from juries and 312 from the public. (ebu.ch) Euronews, citing Associated Press reporting from Vienna, said Dara had not been among the favorites before the final. ### What happened with Israel’s result and the boycott? Reuters reported that five countries boycotted the final over Gaza. (ebu.ch) RTÉ identified those countries as Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland and Slovenia. Euronews reported that hundreds marched near the arena before the final and that pro-Palestinian groups staged an outdoor concert in Vienna on May 15. (eurovisionworld.com) The same report said Israel’s entry, “Michelle,” was cheered by some in the hall and also drew boos at points during the week. ### Why was this win historic for Bulgaria? (usnews.com) The EBU said Bulgaria first competed in Eurovision in 2005 and returned this year after three years away. The organizer described Dara’s win as broadcaster BNT’s first in the contest. Reuters also described the result as Bulgaria’s first Eurovision title. Dara, whose full name is Darina Yotova, was representing Bulgaria with a song credited by the EBU to Anne Judith Stokke Wik, Darina Yotova, Dimitris Kontopoulos and Monoir. (euronews.com) ### How bad was the night for the United Kingdom? The BBC’s live results page said the United Kingdom finished with one point. (ebu.ch) Sky News and other outlets reported that the UK entry was Sam Battle, performing as Look Mum No Computer, with the song “Eins, Zwei, Drei.” That left the UK at the bottom of the table after receiving no public points and one jury point, according to multiple post-show reports carrying the published scoreboard. (usnews.com) ### What did organizers say about the scale of the event? The EBU said votes were received from 148 countries across participating nations and the “Rest of the World.” The organizer said 35 nations took part in the 2026 contest, with 25 reaching the grand final in Vienna. (yahoo.com) Martin Green, the EBU’s director for the Eurovision Song Contest, congratulated Dara and Bulgarian broadcaster BNT in the organizer’s post-final statement. (yahoo.com) The EBU said ORF hosted the contest in Vienna under the theme “United by Music.” ### What happens next after Dara’s win? The EBU said Bulgaria’s victory means the country’s broadcaster BNT takes the title into Eurovision 2027. (ebu.ch) Politico, reporting from Vienna, said Bulgaria will now host the competition next year. Full voting results for the May 16 grand final were posted after the show by Eurovision organizers and results trackers, including the breakdown of jury and televote scores for Dara, Bettan and the rest of the field. (ebu.ch)