Bulgaria's Dara Wins Eurovision 2026 with Record-Breaking Margin
Bulgaria triumphed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 on Saturday night in Vienna when Dara won with her song 'Bangaranga,' defeating Israel by the largest margin in contest history. This marks Bulgaria's first-ever Eurovision victory and will see the country host next year's contest.
Dara Wins Eurovision 2026
Dara from Bulgaria was crowned the winner of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest with the song 'Bangaranga'. The 27-year-old enjoyed a truly decisive win, finishing 173 points ahead of Israel's Noam Bettan – the biggest ever winning margin in the contest's history.
Bulgaria received a total of 516 points, and won both the national juries (204 points) and the public vote (312 points). DARA is also the first artist since Salvador Sobral in 2017 to win both the public and jury votes.
First Win for Bulgaria
It is the first time Bulgaria has ever won Eurovision. As is tradition, next year's contest is expected to be held in Bulgaria, in celebration of their win.
Controversy Over Israel's Participation
Five countries – Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and the Netherlands – boycotted this year's contest over Israel's participation in it, marking the biggest crisis for the event in its 70-year history.