Bulgaria made history on Saturday, 17 May, winning Eurovision for the first time. Sofia’s victory came against the backdrop of what many are calling the contest’s most politically explosive year so far. Headlines were dominated less by songs and performances than by debates over who was—and was not—participating.
Bulgarian pop star Dara secured victory with more than 500 combined jury and televote points for her song ‘Bangaranga’. She comfortably defeated Israel’s Noam Bettan and his entry ‘Michelle’, which finished second with 343 points. Romania completed the podium, while pre-contest favourite Finland ultimately finished only sixth despite strong bookmaker expectations.
This year’s Vienna-hosted contest unfolded under the shadow of a sweeping political boycott. Several of the EU’s most progressive and openly pro-Palestinian governments and public broadcasters—including Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Iceland—withdrew from the competition in protest over Israel’s continued participation amid the war in Gaza. Some broadcasters reportedly refused to air the contest altogether.
The Jewish state also faced criticism over what many observers perceived as an unusually large-scale promotional campaign aimed at maximizing public televote support. During Eurovision week itself, Israel’s broadcaster KAN received a formal warning after promotional videos circulated online encouraging supporters to use all available televotes.
So much love from across Europe and around the world last night 💙🇮🇱
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) May 17, 2026
Huge congratulations to Bulgaria and DARA for BANGARANGA 🇧🇬✨ Truly deserved 👏
And judging by the votes… looks like Europe couldn’t get Michelle out of their heads 😉🎶pic.twitter.com/odQnllPS2j
KAN later removed the videos and maintained that the campaign remained within the rules. Israeli supporters argued that many countries actively campaign for votes during Eurovision season and accused critics of disproportionately targeting Israel during an exceptionally politicized year.
By contrast, Bulgaria’s campaign was largely the opposite. Dara and her team focused almost entirely on performance and staging. ‘Bangaranga’ emerged as one of the breakout entries of Eurovision week thanks to highly energetic live performances blending electronic dance music, Bulgarian folk motifs, and kukeri-inspired visuals and choreography.
The victory carried huge symbolic significance for Bulgaria. Since debuting in Eurovision in 2005, the country had developed a reputation as a recurring near-miss contender. Its best previous result came in 2017, when Kristian Kostov finished second with ‘Beautiful Mess’. Bulgaria had also withdrawn from the contest several times due to financial difficulties and only returned this year after a three-year absence.
Outgoing Bulgarian prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov congratulated Dara shortly after the final, calling the triumph ‘a historic cultural moment for Bulgaria’. Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova similarly described the singer as ‘one of Bulgaria’s greatest young ambassadors’.
Darina Nikolaeva Yotova, aka Dara, the 27-year-old singer from Varna first rose to prominence during The X Factor Bulgaria in 2015 and later established herself as one of the country’s leading pop performers. She has also publicly discussed her struggles with ADHD and mental health, later describing ‘Bangaranga’ as representing ‘a quiet belief that everything’s going to be all right’.
The contest also produced several major disappointments beyond the political controversies. The United Kingdom finished at the bottom of the scoreboard after Sam Battle’s ‘Eins, Zwei, Drei’ received almost no support in the televote. Sweden, traditionally among Eurovision’s strongest performers, fell to 20th place, while Germany once again finished near the bottom of the rankings.
Hungary withdrew from Eurovision after 2019, with the country’s public broadcaster MTVA officially stating that it wanted to focus more on supporting Hungarian artists and music domestically. Although no explicit political explanation was ever given, many interpreted the decision as ideological, as Eurovision increasingly became associated with progressive liberal cultural themes and politics while Hungary under Viktor Orbán positioned itself as a champion of right-wing conservatism and traditional values.
Following the end of Orbán’s 16-year rule, however, Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar signalled that his government intends to bring the country back to Eurovision in the coming years, arguing that ‘Hungarian music and culture belong on the European stage’.
The withdrawals and political tensions also significantly reduced the scale of the event. With only 35 participating countries, Eurovision 2026 became the contest’s smallest edition in more than two decades.
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